Upcoming
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2011
2/5/11
Garden Island Cage Match 10: Mayhem at the Mansion 2
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)
2010
12/17/10
Destiny & 808 Battleground
All or Nothing - Champion vs Champion
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
12/3/10
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
11/27/10
Aloha
State BJJ Championships: Final Conflict
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
11/6/10
X-1 Island Pride
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Man Up & Stand Up Kickboxing Championship
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
10/30/10
6th Annual Clinton A.J. Shelton Memorial Match Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym, Honolulu)
10/29/10
808Battleground
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu)
10/23/10
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H.S. Gym)
10/15-17/10
ETERNAL SUBMISSIONS: GI/NO-GI tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Kauai)
10/16/10
DESTINY: Undisputed
Beyer vs Manners II
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
10/2/10
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/11/10
X-1: Heroes
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
9/10/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/4/10
DESTINY:New Era
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/28/10
Big
Island Open
(BJJ)
(Hilo Armory, Hilo)
8/14/10
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
USA Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Lihue Convention Hall, Lihue, Kauai)
8/13/10
Battleground Challenge 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
8/7/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
8/6/10
Mad Skills
(Triple Threat/Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
7/24/10
The Quest for Champions 2010 Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling & Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
7/17/10
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Maui War Memorial, Wailuku, Maui)
Mad Skillz
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(99 Market Shopping Center, Mapunapuna)
7/9/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
7/3/10
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
6/26/10
Kauai Cage Match 9
(MMA)
(Kilohana, Gaylords Mansion, Kauai)
6/25-26/10
50th
State BJJ Championships
(BJJ)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/24/10
Quest for Champions
(Kumite/Grappling)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
6/19/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
6/18-19/10
Select
Combat
(Triple Threat)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/12/10
Destiny: Fury
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Center)
6/11-13/10
MMA Hawaii Expo
(Blaisdell Ballroom)
6/11-12/10
3rd
Annual Pacific Submission Championships
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/11/10
Legacy Combat MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/4/10
X-1:
Nations Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/3-6/10
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, University of California at Long Beach, Long Beach,
CA)
5/22/10
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waiphau Filcom Center)
5/15/10
Scrappla Fest 2
Relson Gracie KTI Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Island School, Kauai)
X-1 World Events
(MMA)
(Waipahu HS Gym)
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Evolution Training Center, Waipio Industrial Court #110)
5/1/10
Galaxy
MMA: Worlds Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/28/10
Chris Smith BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Hilo)
4/23/10
2010 Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/17/10
Hawaiian
Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser
H.S. Gym)
Strikeforce:
Shields vs Henderson
(CBS)
4/16/10
808 Battleground
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/8-11/10
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(University California Irvine, Irvine, CA)
4/3/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Amateur Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
3/27/10
DESTINY: No Ka Oi 2: Oahu vs Maui
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/20/10
X-1: Champions 2
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/20/10
Hawaiian Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/14/10
Hawaiian Kimono Combat
(BJJ)
(PCHS Gym)
3/10/10
Sera's Kajukenbo Tournament
(Kumite, Katas, Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/6/10
Destiny Fast N Furious
(MMA)
(Level 4 RHSC)
2/19/10
808 Battleground
(MMA)
(Filcom, Waipahu)
2/6/10
UpNUp 6: Unstoppable
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/5/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/30/10
Destiny
(Level 4,
Royal HI Shopping Ctr)
(MMA)
Quest for Champions
(Pankration/Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS)
1/23/10
Kauai Knockout Championship Total Domination
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Center, Lihue, Kauai)
1/17/10
X1: Showdown In Waipahu
(Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA)
(Waipahu H.S. Gym)
|
|
December
2010 News Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi and Kickboxing Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ Dean, & Chris
Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from
the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
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to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
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information!
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More than
1 million hits and counting!
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O2
Martial Arts Academy
Your Complete Martial Arts School!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Shane Agena as well
as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA champions Kaleo Kwan
and PJ Dean as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens
provide incredibly detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
classes (Filipino Knife & Stickfighting) who were directly
trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.
Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
the ground up!
Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill?
Our school is for you!
If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
the place for you!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/O2MAA
2010
HAWAIIAN CHAMPIONSHIP OF BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU - PART 3 OF TRIPLE
CROWN SERIES
Kaiser
High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 27, 2010
NAME SCHOOL points
MEN'S GI WHITE BELT
SUPERFEATHER
1ST - Donavan
Parrilla Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND - Nicholas
Seu Brazilian Freestyle JJ 2
3RD- Kiley Momohara Nova Uniao 1
3RD- Abraham Pane Longman Kauai 1
FEATHER
1ST - Jordan Tanoue Leandro Nyza JJ 3
2ND - Devon Andrews Kendall Goo JJ 2
3RD - Cecilio Rosaga Maui Grappling Academy 1
3RD - Issac Ligsay Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
LIGHT
1ST - Alik Kephas Brazilian Freestyle JJ 3
2ND - Dennis
Monahan Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
3RD - Gino
Teves Combat 50 Nova Uniao 1
3RD - Casey Choi Gracie Barra - Honolulu 1
MIDDLE
1ST - Will Torres Gracie Barra - Honolulu 3
2ND - Felipe Lapastora Nova Uniao 2
3RD - Paul
Cruz Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 1
3RD - Brent
Uyeno Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - Geoffry Lee Powerhouse JJ Kauai 3
2ND - Fred Salanoa Gracie Technics 2
3RD - John Pall Mad Tiger BJJ 1
3RD - Jason Conner Team Amil BJJ 1
ULTRA/SUPER HEAVY
1ST - Kaohilii Romualdo Hawaii Combative Arts 3
2ND - Abraham
Ruiz Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
MEN'S GI BLUE BELT
SUPERFEATHER
1ST - Edmund Li Leandro Nyza JJ 3
2ND - Toan Nguyen Team Amil BJJ 2
3RD - Joshua Martinez Maui Grappling Academy 1
FEATHER
1ST - Jay Oliveria Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team 3
2ND - Gary Hendrickson Grappling Unlimited 2
3RD - Dennis
Zaragoza Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 1
3RD - Matt
Aoki Grappling Unlimited 1
LIGHT
1ST - Jensen
Kona Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND - Michael Dorman Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy
2
3RD - Ryan
Clay Leandro Nyza JJ 1
3RD - Lorrin Ishimine Maui Grappling Academy 1
MIDDLE
1ST - Tracy Tamondong Mad Tiger BJJ 3
2ND - DeJuan Hathaway Leandro Nyza JJ 2
3RD - Joey Atkinson Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
3RD - Aaron Terry Central Oahu BJJ 1
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - Christian Kennedy Mad Tiger BJJ 3
2ND- Nicholas Lee Relson Gracie - Ron Shiraki Academy 2
3RD- Chris Lum Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
ULTRA HEAVY
1ST - Troy Ribuca Brazilian Freestyle JJ 3
2ND - Romulo
Veroza Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
MEN'S GI PURPLE BELT
OPEN
1ST - John Hommel Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team 3
2ND - Kaula Watson Longman Kauai 2
3RD- Sy Kageyama Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
MEN'S
GI BROWN BELT
OPEN
1ST - Desi Minor Central Oahu BJJ 3
2ND - John Cho Alliance BJJ 2
3RD- Ahmed Diallo Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
3RD- Leandro Grando Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
MEN'S NO-GI NOVICE
SUPERFEATHER/ROOSTER
1ST - Donovan
Parrilla Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND - Abraham
Panes Longman Kauai 2
3RD- Kiley Momohara Nova Uniao 1
3RD- Nick Seu Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
FEATHER
1ST - Cecilio Rosaga Maui Grappling Academy 3
2ND - Devon Andrews Kendall Goo JJ 2
3RD - Pat Hong Relson Gracie - Ron Shiraki Academy 1
3RD - Quentin
Bolosan Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 1
LIGHT
1ST - Erik Alvarez Nova Uniao 3
2ND - Roddi Baker Gracie Barra - Honolulu 2
3RD - Travis Lum N/A 1
3RD - James Monro Ultimate Fight School 1
MIDDLE
1ST - Juan Diego Ultimate Fight School 3
2ND - Will Torres Gracie Barra - Honolulu 2
3RD - Rick Sagocio Mad Tiger BJJ 1
3RD - Brent Uyeno Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
MIDDLEHEAVY / HEAVY
1ST - Geoffrey Lee Powerhouse JJ Kauai 3
2ND - Juan Sorto Gracie Technics 2
3RD - Damien Bumm Ultimate Fight School 1
3RD - John Shintaku N/A 1
SUPER HEAVY / ULTRA HEAVY
1ST - Kaohili'I Romualdo Relson Gracie - Main Academy 3
2ND - Abraham
Ruiz Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
MEN'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE
SUPERFEATHER
1ST - Edmund Li Leandro Nyza JJ 3
2ND - Toan Nguyen Team Amil BJJ 2
FEATHER
1ST - Gary Hendrickson Grappling Unlimited 3
2ND - Matt Aoki Grappling Unlimited 2
3RD - Bryce Shimabukuno Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team 1
3RD - Dennis
Zaragoza Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 1
LIGHT
1ST - Michael
Dorman Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND - Jensen Kona Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
3RD - Luis
Santos Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
3RD - Mike Cubillos Relson Gracie - Ron Shiraki Academy 1
MIDDLE
1ST - DeJuan Hathaway Leandro Nyza JJ 3
2ND - Tracy Tamondong Mad Tiger BJJ 2
3RD - Joey Atkinson Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
3RD - Aaron Terry Central Oahu BJJ 1
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - Christian Kennedy Mad Tiger BJJ 3
2ND - Nicholas Lee Relson Gracie - Ron Shiraki Academy 2
Raphael Nepomuceno Ultimate Fight School 1
MEN'S
NO-GI ADVANCED
FEATHER/ROOSTER
1ST- John Hommel Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team 3
2ND- Kaula Watson Longman Kauai 2
3RD - Joshua Martinez Maui Grappling Academy 1
OPEN
1ST - Desi Minor Central Oahu BJJ 3
2ND - Romulo
Veroza Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
KID'S GI WHITE BELT
6-8 yrs 44-47 lbs
1ST - Malia
Mason Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND - Skyler
Greg Gracie Barra - Honolulu 2
3RD - Raine Yosida Gracie Barra - Honolulu 1
3RD - Eamon
Jimenez Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 1
7-8 yrs 56-65 lbs
1ST - Zach
Kaina- Kokubun Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND - Laakea
Lapastora Nova Uniao 2
3RD- Nathan Gardner Longman Kauai 1
3RD- Keola Kaili Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
9-11 yrs 50-60 lbs
1ST - Braidyn Yosida Gracie Barra - Honolulu 3
2ND - Keneke
Rosa Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
3RD - Jace
Wataru Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
3RD - Devin Shimabukuro Gracie Barra - Honolulu 1
9-11 yrs 74-80lbs
1ST - Justin Niimi Gracie Barra - Honolulu 3
12-13 yrs 100-125 lbs
1ST - Makana
Indreginal Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND- Logan
Madrona Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team 2
15 yrs 130-145
1ST - Dennis Rull Jr Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
3
2ND - Curtis Palmeria Brazilian Freestyle JJ 2
3RD- Cory Scoggins Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
KID'S GI COLOR BELT
9 yrs 64-75lbs
1ST - Liam
Mason Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND - Jeremy
Hirai Gracie Barra - Honolulu 2
3RD - Anjelyn Baron Central Oahu BJJ 1
3RD - Tristan Baron Central Oahu BJJ 1
9yrs 100lbs+
1ST - Marcus Noblisse Gracie Barra - University 3
2ND - Kennessy Manuel Gracie Barra - Honolulu 2
3RD- Dominic Boland Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
12-14 YRS 110-120 LBS
1ST - Canaan Rabaino-Kawaihae Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 3
2ND - Mykah
Kuratani Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
3RD- Tyler
Barros Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
KID'S
NO-GI NOVICE
6-8 YRS 44-47 lbs
1ST - Eamon
Jimenez Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND - Malia Mason Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
3RD - Raine
Yoshida Gracie Barra - Honolulu 1
3RD - Skylar Ucol Gracie Barra - Honolulu 1
7-8 yrs 56-65 lbs
1ST - Zach
Kaina-Kokubon Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 3
2ND - Nathan
Gardner Longman Kauai 2
3RD - Laakea Lapastora Nova Uniao 1
3RD - Keola Kaili Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
9-11 yrs 50-60
1ST - Braidyn Yosida Gracie Barra - Honolulu 3
2ND- Devin Shimabukuro Gracie Barra - Honolulu 2
3RD- Jessamine
Khan Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 1
3RD- Jace
Wataru Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
11-12 yrs 80-99 lbs
1ST - Logan Madrona Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team 3
2ND - Justin Niimi Gracie Barra - Honolulu 2
13-15 yrs 125-145 lbs
1ST - Dennis Rull Jr Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
3
2ND - Makana
Indreginal Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
KID'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE
9-10 yrs 60-75lbs
1ST - Tristen Baron Central Oahu BJJ 3
2ND - Keneke
Rosa Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
3RD- Jeremy
Hirai Gracie Barra - Honolulu 1
3RD- Anjelynn Baron Central Oahu BJJ 1
9-10 yrs 100 lbs
1ST - Marcus Noblisse Gracie Barra - University 3
2ND - Dominick Boland Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 2
3RD- Kennesy Manuel Gracie Barra - Honolulu 1
15 yrs 128-134
1ST - Curtis Palmeria Brazilian Freestyle JJ 3
2ND - JC Ferreira N/A 2
3RD- Tyler Barros Brazilian Freestyle JJ 1
KID'S NO-GI ADVANCED
12-13 yrs 110-118
1ST - Canaan Rabino-Kawaihae Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 3
2ND - Mykah
Kuratani Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 2
Ultimate
Fight School 6
Alliance BJJ 2
Brazilian Freestyle JJ 29
Maui Grappling Academy 7
Relson
Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy 62
Relson
Gracie - Kaneohe Team 15
Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute 6
Relson Gracie - Main Academy 3
Relson Gracie - Ron Shiraki Academy 6
Central Oahu BJJ 14
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 11
Longman Kauai 10
Powerhouse JJ Kauai 6
Mad Tiger BJJ 13
Gracie Barra - Honolulu 33
Gracie Barra - University 6
Gracie Technics 4
Grappling Unlimited 8
Hawaii Combative Arts 3
Kendall Goo JJ 4
Leandro Nyza JJ 12
Nova Uniao 13
Combat 50 Nova Uniao 1
N/A 4
Team Amil BJJ 5
283
TEAM POINTS SCHOOLS POINTS
1ST - Relson
Gracie Association - O2 Martial Arts Academy, Kaneohe Team, 92
Main Academy, Kauai Technical Institute, Ron Shiraki Academy
2ND - Gracie Humaita - Central Oahu JJ, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua,
Longman Kauai 54
Powerhouse JJ Kauai, Mad Tiger BJJ
3RD - Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu and Maui Grappling Academy
36
TRIPLE
CROWN BELT WINNERS
WHITE Cecilio Rosaga Maui Grappling Academy
BLUE Jensen
Kona Relson Gracie - 02 Martial Arts Academy
PURPLE / BROWN Desi Minor Central Oahu BJJ
NOVICE Cecilio Rosaga Maui Grappling Academy
INTERMEDIATE DeJuan Hathaway Leandro Nyza JJ
ADVANCED Desi Minor Central Oahu BJJ
Source: Brazilian Freestyle JJ
|
Primer:
UFC 124
by Jake Rossen
Hawaii
Air Times:
Countdown
Spike Channel 559
Friday
10:00-11:00PM
UFC 124
Saturday
Oceanic Channel 701
5:00 - 8:00PM
Fighting
just twice a year and rarely compromised by opponents, Georges
St. Pierre might be the single greatest original product of the
modern-era Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Zuffa
-- which bought the UFC brand in 2001 -- inherited a number of
attractions from previous owners, including Tito Ortiz, Randy
Couture, and Chuck Liddell; Brock Lesnar’s fame was bred
in pro wrestling; Kimbo Slice was a product of YouTube. The UFC
has discovered and developed many stars, but St. Pierre is in
a league of his own.
St.
Pierre had several fights in Canada to begin his career, but
it wasn’t until he began taking down high-level wrestlers
in the UFC that people began to understand what was happening:
a capital-A athlete had learned how to fight, and had developed
his body for no other purpose.
Wrestlers
had physicality, but only as a side effect of their collegiate
careers -- worse, they often relied solely on their ability to
grapple, their bodies and egos married to certain functions.
When St. Pierre made his UFC debut seven years ago, he wasn’t
trying to adapt. The athleticism and the skillset were built
simultaneously.
Previous
to St. Pierre, athletes took turns succeeding with fighters,
and good athletes who married good skills (Matt Hughes, Couture)
were regular winners. But St. Pierre is a great athlete with
a great ability; he has the frame of an Olympian in a sport that
hosts a lot of varsity players. The interest -- and there’s
a lot, with St. Pierre’s last fight against Dan Hardy flirting
with Lesnar numbers -- stems from that unlikely coupling. He
could probably be a professional in another sport if he had made
that decision. Instead, he’s operating at that level for
the purpose of a new form of prizefight.
A
few years from now there will probably be many St. Pierres, groomed
athletes who groom great physical gifts with an understanding
of violence. For now, he’s still the exception that will
eventually insist on the rule.
What:
UFC 124, an 11-bout card from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec,
Canada
When:
Saturday, Dec. 11 at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view
Why
You Should Care: Because St. Pierre is flirting with cleaning
out an entire division in a manner no one has managed yet; because
Josh Koscheck comes from a camp (American Kickboxing Academy)
that produces some of the most difficult fighters to figure out;
because Sean McCorkle could talk himself into Kimbo Slice levels
of Internet infamy, with a good set of skills to go with it;
and because Thiago Alves is still a question mark following a
tough loss to Jon Fitch (and brain surgery).
Fight
of the Night: Alves vs. John “Doomsday” Howard, two
talented strikers who are brawlers at heart.
Hype
Quote of the Show: “Everybody in there is pushing you. If
you have a bad day in there, let me tell you, you’re going
to go home and you’re going to question yourself because
you get your ass kicked in the gym. There’s been many days
in this training camp that I got beat down in the gym and I’m
just like, ‘Oh my God.’” -- Koscheck, in accidental
humility, to the Montreal Star-Gazette.
Questions:
UFC 124
Is
Freddie Roach a reliable witness?
Roach,
the highly-regarded trainer for some of boxing’s biggest
names, has offered instruction to MMA fighters for the past several
years; speaking about St. Pierre’s fight with Koscheck,
Roach offered that Koscheck’s lazy jab might be countered
with a St. Pierre left hook.
Serra
(above) found GSP's chin.The problem with using Roach as handicapping
fuel is uneven testimony: he once criticized Manny Pacquiao’s
camp for being underwhelming -- when Pacquiao was his own fighter
-- and has often bolstered the credentials of fighters more out
of good faith than actual belief. Roach says a lot, but often
winds up meaning very little.
Can
MMA ever offer a hometown advantage?
Like
Matt Serra before him, Koscheck has the unenviable task of trying
to keep his focus while a 20,000-plus seat arena wants to see
him drawn and quartered: that’s the benefit of St. Pierre
fighting for his Canadian base. But unlike in ball sports --
often measured attempts to drive in a goal, with time to absorb
the crowd’s negative energy -- there’s not much else
to pay attention to in a fight besides attacking and not getting
attacked. If Koscheck can ignore the brutal walk to the Octagon,
the crowd might not matter.
How
will Dustin Hazelett do as a lightweight?
Dustin
Hazelett’s UFC career at 170 pounds was uneven (he went
5-4) but filled with wonderfully inventive grappling and submission
highlights. In his last two bids, he was TKOed, prompting a move
to 155 pounds.
Dropping
weight is an easy reinvention: if you’re losing, it might
be because you’re getting smothered. But Hazelett’s
problems came as the result of superior stand-up artists, and
there’s not going to be a deficit of those in any division.
Do
or die for Danzig?
The
UFC’s current climate -- win or go home -- has never been
more unforgiving, thanks mostly to the saturation point of shows
and a choked-up roster from the WEC merger. Mac Danzig has lost
four of his last five bouts; another one against Joe Stevenson
would be the end of the road. Hardly unusual, but it would make
only the third time an “Ultimate Fighter” winner was
cut.
Red
Ink: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck
In
most of his recent fights, St. Pierre has not allowed himself
to enter situations he cannot control. Several times, he’s
passed up striking in favor of positional dominance on the ground,
where fighters are made to be helpless and forced to defend themselves
rather than think of an offense. Chris Leben, Wanderlei Silva
-- these are “chips-in” fighters. St. Pierre doesn’t
bet unless the hand is good.
That
approach has had two effects: it’s won him fights against
dangerous fighters -- which in turn raised his celebrity -- but
it’s also forced some fans to accept that not all champions
bring lighter fluid into the Octagon.
Lately,
the question was whether his superior wrestling would be enough
to perform against athletes like Fitch or Alves. (Taking either
one down is like trying to bend a support beam.) In both cases,
he did, just as he put down Koscheck in 2007. Saturday’s
issue is whether Koscheck has paid enough attention to polishing
his Division 1 credentials enough to stay on his feet, and whether
St. Pierre can remove himself from his comfort zone enough to
deal with him standing if it becomes necessary.
What
it Means: For St. Pierre, an opportunity to enjoy a victory against
a disliked opponent in front of a partisan crowd; for Koscheck,
validation that his projected ego is earned.
Wild
Card: St. Pierre’s decentralized training. It’s obviously
working for him, but the minute it doesn’t, he’ll be
criticized for not having any continuity in his camp.
Who
Wins: It’s a tough bout for St. Pierre to look good in,
but that’s typical at this level. Koscheck should be able
to scramble up from takedowns, but that will eventually fatigue
him more than he’d like. St. Pierre by decision.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
124 Will Break Records For Live Attendance And Gate Money
by Damon
Martin
Montreal
has always been a great place for the UFC to visit and on Saturday
night they will break a few records in addition to showcasing
Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck.
UFC
president Dana White announced on Thursday that UFC 124 will
break both the attendance record for the Bell Centre and the
worldwide gate for mixed martial arts with the show Saturday
night.
“This
is a huge fight for us. We’re breaking the North American
record for attendance in the building with over 23,000 and we’re
breaking the gate worldwide for mixed martial arts which will
be over $5 million dollars,” said White.
Currently,
the UFC holds both records with UFC 97: Serra vs. St-Pierre 2
capping the attendance record for the Bell Centre, and UFC 66:
Liddell vs. Ortiz 2, which currently holds the gate record for
an MMA show.
White
expects the raucous crowd to be live and in living color on Saturday
when both challenger Josh Koscheck and champion Georges St-Pierre
hit the Octagon.
“I
think this is going to be a war on Saturday night with 23,000
plus people who hate (Josh Koscheck) and 23,000 plus people who
love Georges St-Pierre. The atmosphere’s going to be insane
here on Saturday night,” White commented.
UFC
124 may have a short lived shelf life as the biggest show however
with the UFC’s announcement of their show upcoming in Toronto
in April 2011. The Rogers Centre caps holds approximately 69,000
plus fans and even if the UFC sections off some of the seats,
expect that show to shatter attendance and gate records.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
K-1
World GP Final Predictions
By Daniel Herbertson
The 2010 K-1 World GP is the most important event of the year
for the future of mixed martial arts in Japan. With FEG themselves
admitting that they are financially strained, success with ticket
sales, Fuji TV and sponsors are vital if K-1 and DREAM are to
continue in 2011. Fortunately, to distract us from troubling
business matters, we have eight of the best kickboxers in the
planet fighting for our amusement.
Semmy
Schilt will attempt to win his record-setting fifth K-1 World
GP, Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem looks to
be the first fighter to ever to hold a K-1 belt and major MMA
belt at the same time, Peter Aerts makes one final attempt at
his fourth GP and Gokhan Saki, Tyrone Spong, Kyotaro and Daniel
Ghita attempt to usher in the new generation of kickboxing.
What:
K-1 WORLD GP 2010 FINAL
When: Dec. 11th. Live broadcast on HDNet at 2AM ET
Where: Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan
Quarterfinals
Mighty Mo vs. Peter Aerts
He was a late replacement but Mighty Mo's qualification in Seoul
was the least impressive among Saturday's Final 8. Mo's reputation
as a power puncher is becoming somewhat generous as he has been
adding few and fewer names to his hit list over the two years.
Peter Aerts' will have no problem exploiting Mo's lack of options
despite the American's promise to be in shape and prepared. Forget
the Aerts that lost to Kyotaro earlier this year; the three-time
champion admits that he made a mistake by going down a division
this late in his career. Aerts is not a fast fighter but he has
the immaculate timing that comes from two decades at the highest
level in the ring and that timing is what got Aerts past Ewerton
Teixeira and also what will also get him past Mo.
Pick: Aerts by Decision
Semmy
Schilt vs. Kyotaro
Kyotaro continues to exceed my expectations. It started with
his 2009 Heavyweight GP win where I expected both Melvin Manhoef
and Gokhan Saki to knock him out without too much trouble. His
first title defense against Peter Aerts seemed to me like it
would be the end of his run. Jerome Le Banner is in his twilight
years but again, I was sure Kyotaro would falter. Despite my
terrible history of predicting Kyotaro bouts, against Schilt
he won't be able to find a home for his right hand and prove
me wrong yet again. Schilt's power, chin and superb use of his
height and reach make him the fighter to beat in this tournament.
Kyotaro should be impressive in defeat if he uses his speed but
he will finished with punches late in the fight. The Schilt that
looked all too human against Hesdy Gerges will not be in the
ring here.
Pick: Schilt by KO
Daniel
Ghita vs. Gokhan Saki
The most difficult fight to predict in the quarterfinals is clouded
further by a leg injury that Ghita carries into this bout. The
advantage that Saki holds in this fight is his excellent combination
work and speed, and if Ghita's injury is severe, that advantage
will be compounded and Saki will run circles around him. Ghita
needs heavy, well-placed leg kicks to slow down a fast foe and
if he has any injury going into a K-1 Finals he is doomed. Before
Ghita confirmed the injury at the pre-fight interviews on Thursday,
I had him as a dark horse for the tournament. Gokhan Saki now
takes that title.
Pick: Saki by KO
Alistair
Overeem vs. Tyrone Spong
Spong's K-1 record does not reflect how good he is. His domination
at lighter weights is something that most fans have never seen
but he is the most technically gifted fighter in the tournament.
Spong's size has been an issue in K-1 though and despite his
efforts to put on weight, against Overeem (who is currently at
265 lbs) the size disparity will more than ever be painfully
apparent. Overeem's performance in Seoul at the Final 16, was
for me, the most impressive of his career. Under heavy assault
Overeem remained cool, watched every incoming punch and as soon
as an opening presented itself he launched out of his turtle
shell and scored a knockdown. It wasn't the brute force of an
"Ubereem", it was a sniper's shot. We knew Overeem
was powerful but we didn't know that he was that precise and
technical. Spong wil be difficult to snipe though and Overeem
will most likely get the KO via brute force as he smashes a hook
through in the first round.
Pick: Overeem by KO
Semifinals
Peter Aerts vs. Semmy Schilt
Aerts and Schilt have met three times in their K-1 careers: Aerts
with a pair of tough fought decisions outside of tournaments
and Schilt with a KO in the finals of the 2007 World GP. Both
fighters should be fresh for their fourth meeting and this time
I see Schilt squaring up the score. Aerts has spoken about how
difficult tournaments are on his body at this age while Schilt
is the perfect tournament fighter and will exploit any weakness
that Aerts is now carrying in a body that has been fighting in
K-1 since 1993. It might take Schilt a round or two to find the
opening but the stoppage should come and and Schilt will get
his shot at his fifth title.
Pick: Schilt by KO
Gokhan
Saki vs. Alistair Overeem
Gokhan Saki strikes me as the most mentally prepared and confident
fighter in the tournament, and if he is to succeed against Alistair
Overeem, then his mind will be his most important asset. Saki's
aggressive, sometimes wild style leads to him getting hit and
against Overeem he cannot risk that. Saki will need immense concentration
for three rounds and will need to avoid every instinct he has
as a fighter if he is to get past Overeem but I cannot see that
happening. Saki may start out strong but his confidence and natural
aggression will lead to a lapse in focus and that's when the
knockout will come.
Pick: Overeem by KO
Final
Semmy Schilt vs. Alistair Overeem
Both Schilt and Overeem will have conquered smaller opponents
on their way to the 2010 K-1 World GP Finals and here in the
finals Schilt will again have the advantage as he should come
in at least 26 pounds heavier than the 265 lbs Strikeforce heavyweight
champion. The real key to this fight is not size though, it's
stamina.
Overeem's
build is not that of a tournament fighter, he has had trouble
in the past (although admittedly, not as a heavyweight) with
gassing and he has the toughest side of the draw. With every
round that Overeem fights, his chances of knocking out Schilt
decrease. Schilt's jabs and knees to the body will suck the stamina
out of Overeem, leading to his demise late in the fight. Schilt
is the best tournament fighter in the sport and he will shine
again here as he takes home his record-setting fifth K-1 crown.
Pick: Schilt by KO
Source: MMA Fighting
|
GSP
Tightens Mechanics with Roach, Aims to Finish Koscheck
by Chris
Nelson
Georges
St. Pierre’s fights have been so completely dominant in
recent years that, at this point, it’s tough to even conceive
of a decision not going his way. Since August 2008, the UFC welterweight
champion has gone the five-round distance in three title defenses,
winning every round on every judge’s scorecard.
Nevertheless,
with a growing trend of incompetent judging in mixed martial
arts, St. Pierre would prefer not to take any chances.
“That’s
why I want to finish fights. I’ve been very close in my
last fight, close to finishing two times. I made a little mistake,
but I want to make sure that if I get the opportunity to finish
the fight, I want to take it. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t
make the same mistake twice,” St. Pierre said during a Monday
conference call.
GSP
will have the chance to rectify one such “mistake”
on Saturday, when he meets challenger Josh Koscheck at the Bell
Centre in Montreal for UFC 124. St. Pierre was unable to finish
Koscheck in their August 2007 affair, though he did thoroughly
out-wrestle the former NCAA Division-1 champion for the better
part of three rounds. The champion suspects that Saturday’s
fight could have a divergent look.
“I
think it’s a different fight with two different fighters,”
said St. Pierre. “I’ve been working on a lot of different
things. The main thing I’ve done, I’ve been working
a lot on punching power. I’ve been working on that with
Freddie Roach. A lot of stuff I was doing wrong and he corrected.”
According
to St. Pierre, Roach -- the acclaimed boxing trainer who has
helped propel the careers of superstars such as Manny Pacquiao
and Amir Khan -- showed him what boxing really is.
“I
think Freddie helped me a lot. A few months I’ve been working
with him and he changed a lot of things in my mechanics. Before
I knew him, I thought I knew boxing, but I found out I didn’t,”
St. Pierre said. “I’ve been sparring a lot with his
professional boxers. Some of his guys are world champions. I’m
very ready for this fight. I’ve never had a [better] training
camp ever [than] for this fight.”
The
confidence runs both ways: in an interview with FightHubTV.com,
Roach predicted that St. Pierre will knock out Koscheck with
a left hook -- a comment to which the challenger took exception
on Monday.
“Working
with Freddie Roach is good and all, but Freddie Roach can’t
teach strengthening your chin, and that’s where I’m
gonna hit Georges and knock him out on Saturday,” Koscheck
said. “Also, my mom predicts a second-round left hook knockout,
too.”
The
ribbing was but a small taste of the “heel” persona
which Koscheck adopted during the most recent season of reality
show “The Ultimate Fighter,” where he and St. Pierre
served as rival coaches. Throughout the series, Koscheck mocked
and provoked both the French Canadian and his team, behavior
which St. Pierre kept in mind during his training.
“The
fact that Josh was very arrogant with me did not affect my fight
-- it affected my preparation coming into the fight,” said
GSP.
“There’s
three things I’m very good at, and it’s fighting guys
that trash talk, fighting guys that come from a strong wrestling
base, and especially [fighting] in a rematch. Josh has those
three components.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Demian
Maia
By Erik Engelhart
After an undeniable victory over the giant Kendall Grove, the
black belt Demian Maia is among the top names of the middleweight
division of UFC. On an interview given to TATAME, Demian commented
his difficulty of confronting a guy of 66, talked about his evolution
on the exchange, talked about his season, told us his plans for
2011 and commented the statement that Anderson Silva has given
about him on Sensei SporTV. Check there and other subjects on
the below interview.
What did you think of your presentation against the giant Kendall
Grove?
I’ve watched the fight later and I liked what I’ve
saw, it was a very busy fight, I hit him with good jabs and I
moved a lot on the ground, I couldn’t finish him, but I
came close some times, I fit good coups and I showed I’m
more mature inside the octagon.
You did a nice job on the first round and on the third you slowed
it down a little. Did you administrated it because you knew you
were better on the first rounds or were you tired?
I slowed it down because I knew I was winning the fight, but
I believe that I clearly won the third round too, I attacked
a lot, he came forwards but he couldn’t connect efficient
coups, maybe one, and I’ve hit him like four times, it was
a round where I explored my Boxing skills. When there were 40
seconds left, I grabbed his legs and hold him there because it
didn’t make any sense to exchange with him and risk it all
like a lottery, it would be a good thing for him and I would
end up losing. Nowadays we have to stick to our game plan because
it doesn’t work to just keep trying to punch the guy and
finish being knocked out.
What was the most difficult part of confronting a guy of that
height?
The most difficult thing is that we don’t have many people
of that height to train with, but I was lucky to have Ednaldo
Lula, a fighter of Salvador who is taller than him, besides I
have trained Jiu-Jitsu with Antonio Peinado, who’s not as
tall as Kendall. The difference was that Kendall trained with
many guys of my size, while I only had one guys of his size to
train with.
Even facing a fighter with a greater reach than you, you showed
that you evolved a lot on Boxing. How is this stand-up work been
doing?
I work with my masters and I like the guy a lot, professor Dórea,
that you all know, André Lopes in Sao Paulo, who’s
an excellent guy, a great person. Dórea is amazing, having
him on my corner makes much difference and I work with these
people I really care about and I trust the ones who are at my
side and it makes my evolving more natural.
On an interview to Sensei SporTV, Anderson said you would be
the next guy to be beaten on the middleweight division for a
long time. After all this polemic involving the both of you,
what did you think of this statement?
Actually, I didn’t see it coming, but I’m really glad
to hear it from a great champion like Anderson is.
Now that you have won the second consecutive fight you’re
back to the top of the division. What do you think of 2010 and
what will you hope for 2011?
This
year represented my maturing process, I’ve fought 14 rounds,
I haven’t done 14 rounds in my whole career and I did it
this year. There were four fights and I’ve only lost one,
the title fight against Anderson and against him I think I’d
have won at least one round, so I see this season as a very good
one for me as an athlete. For 2011, I have to keep winning so
I can have a title shot again.
Source: Tatame
|
Demian
comments on possibility of facing Michael Bisping
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Demian Maia defeated Kendall Grove via unanimous decision at
TUF 12 last Saturday, making it to his second win in a row since
losing his shot at Anderson Silva’s middleweight belt last
April. As he again fights his way up the list of contenders in
hopes of another title fight, Demian may now have English idol
Michal Bisping ahead of him. Furthermore, in a conversation with
GRACIEMAG.com, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt analyzes his evolution
in the other facets of the fight game and even a possible rematch
with Nate Marquardt.
Was
it hard facing a fighter nearly two meters tall?
I
trained with tall people, so that was good. It all worked out
and I felt I evolved in my takedowns, in planting my feet, although
I didn’t get the finish. Grove is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt
and defended well. I fell I did what I trained to do and improved
in what I needed to. I had some good ground and pound, which
I wanted to get better at, and I feel I had a good fight against
one of the best in the weight group.
As
in your fight with Mario Miranda you were close to getting the
finish but were unable to, do you feel you lack some fine tuning?
I
have to always improve on adjusting holds, but in my last two
fights I faced opponents who defend well on the ground and don’t
make many mistakes. I trained a lot of grappling for both fights
and if they’d done something wrong, I’d have gotten
them. It wasn’t for a lack of training. I train and I’m
evolving. I fell I did better in the standup department, I landed
more punches than him and some of them hurt him. It’s a
sign I’m improving.
Striking in the sport just keeps getting better and that was
the decisive element in your fight with Nate Marquardt. Would
you like to face him again?
A
lot of folks ask me that. I don’t have any desire to right
now. He’s coming off a loss and generally you match someone
who is coming off a win with someone else coming off a win. But
down the road for sure. I believe I’ll win the title one
day and I’ll put it up for grabs against him, who’s
an excellent fighter.
They
want to put me against Bisping” Demian
Do
you know who you may face next?
They
say they want to put me against Michael Bisping. But I’m
not concerned with any of that. I’m a fighter and I have
to train as best I can, to win.
What
do you think of Bisping?
He’s
a very strategic guy, keeps his distance, and has good boxing.
He’s also a pain to take down. A lot of people say they
don’t think he’s all that, but he has very few losses
and is hard to beat. He’s an experienced fighter. Should
he really be my next, then I’ll even ask for some pointers
from Wanderlei Silva, who has fought him before.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Florian
Confirms Injury, Withdrawal from Dunham Bout
Perennial
lightweight contender Kenny Florian has confirmed on his official
website, that he will not face Evan Dunham as originally scheduled
on January 22nd, due to a knee injury he incurred while training.
The bout had been pencilled in as the main event for the upcoming
“Fight for the Troops” card, which will take place
at Fort Hood in Texas.
Here
is part of the statement that appeared on Florian’s website
earlier today.
It
is with deep regret that I will not be able to compete in my
scheduled fight against Evan Dunham on January 22nd, due to a
knee injury I sustained during training this morning. Although
I have not had an MRI as of yet; the doctors are cautiously optimistic
that it will not require surgery.
Florian
is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Gray Maynard in August,
after earning back-to-back victories over Clay Guida and Takanori
Gomi. Florian went on to say that he is “determined to return
to the octagon in the first half on 2011.”
Dunham
(11-1) was defeated for the first time in his pro career in September,
when he dropped a tighlty contested split decision to former
champ Sean Sherk. Prior to the loss Dunham had won four straight
in the Octagon.
The
UFC has not yet made an official announcement regarding Florian’s
injury.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
UFC
124: Ricardo Almeida, The Resolve of a Veteran
by Brian
Lopez-Benchimol
Ricardo Almedia was cornered.
Trapped
amongst a bevy of fans, he had nowhere to go. Normally the Renzo
Gracie protege tends to shy away from looking at past performances,
especially losses, but at a recent Fan Expo held in New York
City, Almeida had no choice but to suck up his pride and witness
his most recent defeat.
“I
usually don’t like to watch fights when I lose, even if
it’s a fight that I ?didn’t look very good and I wasn’t
happy with my performance,” Almeida told MMAWeekly Radio,
concerning his last outing against UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes
in August.
“But
actually, I went to the Expo like a couple of weeks after my
fight, and they were playing my fight on the big screen as I
was signing autographs, so I couldn’t runaway from no one.”
Forced
to come face-to-face with the fourth loss in his professional
career as a mixed martial artist, albeit in a somewhat embarrassing
public setting, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt was able to
come to terms with what transpired. The former welterweight champion
was able to drop Almeida with a left hook midway through the
first round, capitalizing on the dazed fighter, Hughes pounced
and secured a Schultz headlock (an old school wrestling maneuver
made popular by 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Dave Schultz) choking
Ricardo to sleep in a shocking upset.
Hughes
garnered “Submission of the Night” for his efforts,
while Almeida lost for the first time in the 170-pound division.
The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak inside the Octagon
for the Brazilian. It’d be easy for him to dwell on the
past, but he took the hard road, analyzing his defeat in hopes
to not make the same mistake in future endeavors.
“I
made some mistakes,” Almeida couldn’t help but admit.
“I made mistakes back-to-back that cost me the fight. I
got hit with a big left hook, and then I tried to get off the
ground too quick. Then he caught me with that front headlock
choke, and that was it.
“It’s
part of competing, we don’t like losing. I remember all
of my losses and I don’t remember much about some of my
wins. You just take the notes, learn from the lessons, and move
forward.”
With
that bout in the past, there’s only one way to go, and that’s
forward. Almeida will now meet UFC veteran T.J. Grant this Saturday
at UFC 124: St-Pierre vs. Koscheck 2, before a soldout crowd
at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Grant,
a Canadian native, will have the home-turf advantage, which is
something that Almeida is all too familiar with. At UFC 111 this
past March, Almeida defeated “The Ultimate Fighter”
veteran Matt Brown, submitting him in the second round before
a ruckus crowd in Newark, N.J. The “Big Dog” owns and
operates an academy in Hamilton, N.J., giving him the hometown
support, which he says was somewhat of a disadvantage.
“I
think it’s easier fighting away, and we don’t have
the pressure of the home crowd,” said the 34-year-old.
“Fighting
in New Jersey, when I fought in the stadium, I definitely felt
a lot more pressure ?to perform. This one, the pressure is on
him. He’s in front of his crowd, and he’s the one that
has to carry that on his shoulders. I’m just going to go
out there and fight my fight. Crowds don’t bother me.
“Someone
booing you or not, it doesn’t matter. Ultimately it’s
just me and T.J. in the Octagon, that’s it.”
Grant
has won two of his last three bouts in the Octagon and has proved
a formidable opponent for everyone he faces. Win or lose, when
you fight T.J. Grant, you know your in a fight. Almedia though,
is up for the challenge.
“T.J.
really is well rounded,” proclaimed the former King of Pancrase.
“He’s
got good strikes and he’s a pretty high-level wrestler,
especially coming from Canada. It’s just another fight.
You don’t prepare for a fighter without looking at his techniques.
There’s certain things he does well with his striking, a
couple of things that he does with his wrestling, and a couple
of things that he does in jiu-jitsu.
“It’s
just about coming out there and neutralizing that and not getting
caught, not making any mistakes.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Today’s
parallels between Strikeforce and K-1
By Zach
Arnold
K-1
claims that they will announce 10 fights for their Dynamite event
(12/31 Saitama Super Arena) after their 12/11 Ariake Colosseum
event takes place in Tokyo. I find this news to be curious because
a week ago the company line issued to certain individuals is
that they weren’t going to focus on Dynamite until after
the Ariake Colosseum event. How things change.
K-1
says that they will talk to Satoshi Ishii’s management this
week to see if they can get him booked for the Dynamite event.
At this past weekend’s IGF (Inoki) event in Tokyo at Ryogoku
Kokugikan, disgraced former Sumo wrestler Wakakirin is now Inoki’s
Japanese ace in IGF and said he wanted to fight at the Dynamite
event. Both Ishii and Wakakirin are aligned on the Inoki side
of politics. A stranger sidebar to the Dynamite discussion is
a PR stunt by K-1 to tease whether or not disgraced Livedoor
boss Takafumi Horie (who’s now in the porn business) will
appear at the Saitama Super Arena event.
The
situation for K-1 on New Year’s Eve is critical. They need
Tokyo Broadcasting System a lot more than TBS needs them, despite
the attitude on display by some of “what else is TBS going
to air that will draw just as well on NYE?” The truth is
that as K-1 loses more power, TBS gains more control. TBS will
continue to gain influence over K-1 as a company until they get
tired of Kazuyoshi Ishii and pull the plug. Low ratings can have
that effect on a relationship. The position K-1 is in going into
New Year’s Eve is horrible. They will have less than three
weeks to promote a show at a major arena with a rumored card
line-up that, so far, has little or no relevance to the Japanese
public at hand. Bibiano Fernandes vs. Hiroyuki Takaya, Kazushi
Sakuraba vs. Marius Zaromskis, and Josh Thomson vs. Crusher Kawajiri
all are DREAM-level fights but they do not come across as fights
that a Japanese television executive would book for ratings,
right?
(It
should be noted that the original rumor for Dynamite matchmaking
a few weeks ago was a fight between Sakuraba and Akebono.)
What’s
been so fascinating about this year’s Dynamite show is that
all the action has taken place behind the scenes. TBS holds all
the cards. It would seem unlikely, at this point, that a pay-for-play
deal was reached, but who knows? A barter deal (advertising split),
should K-1 manage to somehow get a limited time frame on the
network for NYE, would make the most sense. The problem is attracting
significant sponsorship dollars. We’re far too late into
the game here.
When
one looks at the historical purpose of the New Year’s Eve
big fight show (started by DSE & Antonio Inoki in 2000 at
the Osaka Dome), the purpose was to attack the establishment.
The establishment, in this case, was NHK’s traditional NYE
powerhouse Kohaku. Inoki, PRIDE, and K-1 positioned themselves
as the rebels challenging the status quo and proving that the
Japanese fight game is the strongest in the world. It was a showcase
for top Japanese stars and for developing new Japanese aces.
Inoki brought the pro-wrestling marketing sense and stars from
New Japan, PRIDE brought the major-league production values,
and K-1 brought the juice through their television connections.
Look
at the Dynamite franchise now, 10 years later. The juice is gone.
If K-1 can get the event aired on TV, that is somehow considered
a victory in this current climate. You would have never imagined
that scenario, even three years ago. And… the fights being
leaked so far in the press are intriguing but not for the reasons
you would expect. Josh Thomson vs. Crusher Kawajiri is a fight
that Scott Coker wants to see, but can you honestly say the mainstream
public in Japan cares? No, which is why I think it’s fascinating
to see that some of the fights that could end up getting booked
on Dynamite will end up having more consequence on the matchmaking
outside of K-1 rather than in the promotion’s own booking
scenario.
I
am reminded of a discussion Dave Meltzer had with Bryan Alvarez
after the Strikeforce show in St. Louis last weekend in which
they criticized Strikeforce for not announcing fights for their
1/29 San Jose event during the Showtime telecast. The word that
kept popping up was ‘mindboggling.’ Was it because
Josh Barnett couldn’t get re-licensed? Was it because Gilbert
Melendez’s hand injury hasn’t healed up in time to
book a trilogy fight against Josh Thomson? Those were the questions
being asked in the discussion. That discussion led to a larger
discussion about how much Showtime controls Strikeforce at this
point as an MMA property and that Showtime has certain ideas
and values as to how to book events. Dave claims that the reason
Strikeforce preliminary fights aren’t shown on Showtime
is because Showtime believes that since they are a premium cable
channel that, unless you are already an established MMA star,
you shouldn’t get air time on their channel as a nobody.
“Airing prelims, that is a UFC move,” is how Dave described
Showtime’s attitude on the matter. Strikeforce can put on
good shows, but they are at the mercy of Showtime at this point.
Which
is, ironically, the position Strikeforce’s Japanese partner,
K-1, is in now with TBS. This is not a political position that
Ishii ever thought he would find himself in. Even if TBS decides
to air Dynamite, the big issue is money. If TBS doesn’t
have to pay much money for the telecast, how will K-1 survive
financially? All eyes are on this Saturday’s Ariake Colosseum
event and whether or not K-1 can draw a good enough rating to
maintain their relationship with Fuji TV. Here’s photos
from today’s workout featuring Kyotaro (Keijiro Maeda).
The
relationship between Fuji TV and K-1 goes back to the beginnings
of K-1 as a national player in the 90s. K-1 aired their major
shows on Fuji TV and then developed B-level “K-1 Japan series”
events that aired on Nippon TV. Eventually, K-1 shifted towards
the World MAX events and moved from Nippon TV to TBS. For two
decades, the promotion has had an incredible run of shows on
three of Japan’s biggest broadcast networks. I was recently
reading an article from writer Ichiro Ochiai talking about the
tragedies and triumphs of the K-1 Japan series aces like Musashi,
Yusuke Fujimoto, Tsuyoshi Nakasako, Hiromi Amada, Nobu Hayashi,
and Tatsufumi Tomihira. The lack of new Japanese superstars is
what led to the irrelevance and death of the K-1 Japan series.
Heading in 2011, K-1 finds all of their television properties
in danger of extinction. The company is now at the mercy of television
executives.
The
sad predicament K-1 is in now reminds me of another sad predicament
of someone who made a name for themselves under the Dynamite
banner and that’s pro-wrestler Tadao Yasuda. Yasuda become
a semi-household name in Japan after choking out Jerome Le Banner.
The win caused chaos in New Japan matchmaking and Yasuda would
eventually win the IWGP Heavyweight title because of a match
result in a shoot fight. Yesterday, in quiet fashion, Yasuda
announced that he would be having a retirement show on February
4th in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall. Yasuda was the classic hard-luck
story you see in pro-wrestling all the time. He made the conversion
from Sumo wrestling and never really panned out as a good wrestler.
His penchant for gambling away his salary on pachislo (pachinko
slot machines) was so prominent that it became the storyline
used by TBS in the pre-fight clips for his 2001 Dynamite bout.
His daughter was at ring side to watch him fight Le Banner. After
Yasuda pulled off the upset win, he became known as “King
Debtor of the Heisei era” in the media. He won the IWGP
title, gambled away more money, turned heel in New Japan and
became “Hollywood” Tadao Yasuda, and eventually left.
He had a failed suicide attempt at his house in October of 2007.
He became broke again due to gambling.
In
the press report issued for his pro-wrestling retirement show,
he says that he plans on moving away from Japan to head to Brazil
because he’s too tempted to gamble his money away in his
home country. He noted that he wants to teach Sumo wrestling.
In a plea to the fans, he promised that he wouldn’t blow
the money from the retirement show on gambling and that he would
use it for retirement.
He’s
fading off into the sunset on a predetermined date. The question
is whether or not K-1 & Dynamite will fade off into the sunset
shortly as well.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Coker
on Fedor Negotiations: Closer Than Ever
The prolonged contract negotiations between Strikeforce and M-1
Global over the services of Fedor Emelianenko have reached the
point where Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker can joke about it.
“I’ve
been back and forth, back and forth. The lawyers are going back
and forth, back and forth. We’ve already been in touch with
the State Department about calling the Kremlin and giving us
a hand to finish this contract,” Coker said Monday on the
Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “I
think we might have to go through the government to get this
thing done. In all seriousness, I think we’ll have something
to announce here real soon.”
Fedor
fought last in June, his second Strikeforce bout, when Fabricio
Werdum stunningly submitted him with a triangle choke. He is
believed to have one fight remaining on his current Strikeforce
contract. Coker said he does want to sign Fedor to additional
fights -- as many as four to six -- but he also said he’s
willing to promote the Russian heavyweight’s third and final
fight on his contract.
“We
would definitely fight him,” Coker said, “but if we
have an opportunity to have that conversation [for more fights],
why not have that conversation?”
Coker
also said that pay-per-view and the revenue it could generate
is not what’s holding up the deal.
“All
I can tell you is we’re closer than we’ve ever been,”
he said. “I look forward to Fedor fighting. I believe he’ll
be fighting in the first quarter of next year.”
Source: Sherdog
|
‘Cacareco’
drops to 185lbs for next UFC fight
By Guilherme
Cruz
Alexandre
“Cacareco” Ferreira’s UFC debut wasn’t like
the Chute Boxe team expected, but the first round TKO loss to
Vladimir Matyushenko won’t be his last chance in the octagon.
“Cacareco will have another opportunity, maybe in February
or March, and he’ll drop to middleweight”, said Rudimar
Fedrigo, leader of the Chute Boxe team. “It was a suggestion
that came from the UFC guys, they said it’d be better for
him to fight in this division”.
Source: Tatame
|
Dana
White to arrive in Brazil and announce UFC’s return
by Graciemag
Newsroom
GRACIEMAG.com
broke the news, Dana White denied it at first, but there’s
no hiding it for long. The president of the UFC will be in Brazil
on December 15, where he will confirm the event’s return
to the country, most likely at the HSBC Arena in the Barra da
Tijuca part of the city, as previously reported by this website’s
editor, Marcelo Dunlop (see here).
The press conference will be held at the City Palace and will
be attended by the mayor, Eduardo Paes. Besides the mayor, secretary
of city tourism Antonio Pedro Figueira de Melo will be there.
Lorenzo Fertitta will accompany the UFC head honcho.
Promotional
champions Anderson Silva, Maurício Shogun, and José
Aldo will also be in attendance, as will former champions Royce
Gracie and Vitor Belfort.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Will
GSP-Koscheck 2 be a repeat?
What
was surprising was the way the fight at UFC 74 went down. St.
Pierre was a former world champion known for being strong in
every aspect of mixed martial arts. Koscheck was, on paper, the
best wrestler in the welterweight division, but the rest of his
skill set was still developing.
It
wasn’t hard to figure a strategy where St. Pierre would
use his takedown defense, try and keep it standing, and force
Koscheck to fight where he was weakest.
But
on August 25, 2007 in Las Vegas, St. Pierre instead sent the
rest of the welterweight division a strong message: Instead of
taking advantage of his opponents’ weaknesses, he would
beat his opponents at their strengths.
With
no competitive background in wrestling, he talked before about
how he thought he could beat Koscheck, a former NCAA champion,
in a wrestling match. Few took him seriously, figuring at best
he’d be looking to get a stalemate in the wrestling aspect
so he could dominate with his stand-up.
Koscheck
ignored the warning, and it turned out to be his undoing. Koscheck
did almost no wrestling preparation, figuring St. Pierre couldn’t
take him down, and worked exclusively on his weakness, the stand-up
game.
The
end result was the most impressive performance in St. Pierre’s
career up to that point. As soon as the fight started, St. Pierre
came out and exploded with a double-leg takedown, and put Koscheck
on his back.
****”I
think it’s a different fight with two different fighters,”
said St. Pierre (20-2), about their upcoming match. “And
yes, it’s going to be a different fight.”
Koscheck
(15-4) got up from that first takedown, and got a takedown of
his own midway through the first round and kept St. Pierre on
his back for nearly half the round. Koscheck won the round on
two of the three judges’ cards. St. Pierre rallied and won
Rounds 2 and 3 to win the fight, which was the start of his current
UFC record 25 consecutive round victories.
In
the second round, St. Pierre again exploded immediately for a
double-leg takedown and put Koscheck on his back. From there,
he worked for an armlock and a Kimura, keeping Koscheck on his
back the entire round.
The
start of the third round saw the fight go more as was predicted.
St. Pierre kept it standing, using low kicks and showing his
superiority there. Koscheck went for a takedown, but St. Pierre
blocked it and landed on top. He kept Koscheck on his back for
the rest of the round. With about one minute left, Koscheck,
with his inability to escape from the bottom, whispered in St.
Pierre’s ear, “Congratulations.”
St.
Pierre accepted that compliment with a swift elbow to his skull.
Still,
even though it was a dominant performance, with the nature of
the 10-point must scoring system, for all the talk of domination,
the fight likely came down to that one third-round move. If Koscheck
had completed that takedown, there is a good chance he could
have swayed judges and won the third round, leading to a split
decision (the final scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28).
Koscheck
says he has learned the proper lessons from his 2007 defeat.
“I
underestimated the fact that Georges has the ability to put his
wrestling with his mixed martial arts, and I think that’s
going to be a different case this time.
“I
think three years ago, I learned a valuable lesson and you don’t
get second chances in life very often. And I think that this
is the second chance that I get to get a crack at Georges St.
Pierre and I’ve prepared very well for this. And I believe
that I’m going to be champion on Saturday night.”
Since
that 2007 fight, nobody has been close to as competitive with
St. Pierre. St. Pierre’s main talking point in the promotion
of the fight has been his career track record in situations like
this one. “There are three things that I’m very good
at,” said the champion. “It’s fighting guys who
trash talk. It’s fighting guys who come from a strong wrestling
base. And it’s fighting in rematches, because I’m very
good to adapt myself to any kind of fighting style. That’s
my specialty. And Josh has those three components. He trash talks
a lot. He has mainly a strong wrestling background, but he does
have good stand-up. But mainly he’s a strong wrestler. And
it’s a rematch. So it’s the best match for me, and
I can’t wait.”
Oddsmakers
have bought that argument, with St. Pierre nearly a 5-to-1 favorite
on the Vegas book.
Koscheck
is only the third fighter who St. Pierre will have had more than
one match against. With Matt Hughes, a strong wrestler, St. Pierre
lost via submission the first time, but dominated their second
and third meetings, winning via second-round TKO and second-round
submission.
With
B.J. Penn, the two had a competitive first match, with St. Pierre
winning a split decision that was debated for years. But in the
rematch, it was a one-sided for four rounds before both the doctor
and Penn’s corner deciding to stop the match.
The
trash rematch has built for three months as both were coaches
on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show. St. Pierre
clearly won the coaching battle, with his team winning eight
of the 11 head-to-head battles and both finalists, winner Jonathan
Brookins and Michael Johnson, coming from his team.
Saturday’s
show, even without another marquee fight on the card, is expected
to be one of UFC’s four biggest pay-per-view shows of the
year. All the signs are strong going in. The season was the second-highest
rated over the past four years. No UFC event has done as well
with late ticket sales in nearly four years, and a company record-setting
crowd of more than 21,000 is expected.
It’s
a simple formula at work. Koscheck gets people to hate him, and
want to see him shut up. And people believe St. Pierre is the
guy who is going to do it.
“You
have Georges St. Pierre’s image, which he tries to keep
squeaky clean, and he does a good job of it,” Koscheck said.
“And then you have me, who doesn’t really care what
people think of him. And what’s why people are going to
tune in on Saturday, because they want to see Georges St. Pierre
kick my ass because I’m the bad guy, so called. So it’s
a great event for the end of the year for UFC. It’s going
to be a monster event.”
At
their media call earlier in the week, Koscheck spent the entire
call trying to goad St. Pierre into a different fight from the
first, taunting him to keep it standing.
“St.
Pierre, so, are you going to be a Greg Jackson fighter and just
take me down, or is Georges St. Pierre going to have the balls
to stand toe-to-toe with me? We’ll see.”
After
St. Pierre brought up his recent boxing training under Freddie
Roach, Koscheck followed with more of his usual needling of the
champion.
“Working
with Freddie Roach is good and all, but you can’t, Freddie
Roach can’t teach strengthening of your chin and that’s
where I’m going to hit Georges and knock him out on Saturday.”
Between
six weeks in Las Vegas earlier this year for the reality show,
and the past few weeks building up the fight, St. Pierre has
listened, and figuratively told Koscheck to be careful what he
wished for.
“It
affected my preparation coming into the fight,” said St.
Pierre. “And I prepare myself like I’ve never prepared
myself before. I’m the best Georges St. Pierre I’ve
ever been. I’m sharper everywhere. I’ve been working
on a lot of different things for this fight and I can’t
wait to show it to the public.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Big
rematch a study in evolution
MONTREAL
– It’s going to be the same, only different, when Georges
St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck meet on Saturday for the Ultimate
Fighting Championship welterweight title in the main event of
UFC 124 at the Bell Centre.
Koscheck
was developing his reputation as the top villain in mixed martial
arts when he met St. Pierre at UFC 74 in Las Vegas in 2007, but
he still was a neophyte in terms of experience in the cage. St.
Pierre won a unanimous decision in a bout that largely was a
wrestling exhibition.
They’ll
meet again as vastly different athletes on Saturday in front
of a likely record live crowd and a pay-per-view audience that
could tickle 1 million. The names are the same, but their games
are not. Rarely do athletes at the highest level of a professional
sport change their games as profoundly as Koscheck and St. Pierre.
Koscheck
now is as feared as much by opponents for his striking as he
is for his wrestling, having devoted himself to becoming a threat
in all areas.
“He
was still very much in the early stages of his MMA career [when
they fought before],” Koscheck coach Bob Cook said. “He
was fighting at a pretty high level even then, but he was still
trying to figure it out and learn it.”
Koscheck
realized after that fight that in order to compete in the upper
echelon of the UFC, he would need to diversify his game. As a
result, he spent long hours in the gym, drilling his standup
in an attempt to add a dimension his game lacked.
Without
a respectable standup game, he was like a golfer who couldn’t
putt. He wasn’t going to beat the division’s elite
men with just his wrestling.
“His
confidence started to grow when he knew he could rely on his
hands,” Cook said.
And
within a year, Koscheck’s hands quickly became lethal weapons.
He knocked out Yoshiyuki Yoshida on Dec. 10, 2008, in one of
the more memorable knockouts of recent vintage and proved opponents
would have to be wary of more than just his wrestling.
He
has gotten so comfortable fighting on his feet that he is predicting
a first-round stoppage of the man whom many believe is the world’s
top fighter.
“I
plan to piss 23,000 people off Saturday by knocking [St. Pierre]
out,” Koscheck said.
Koscheck,
though, won’t find the same man standing across from him
on Saturday that he did in 2007. St. Pierre, too, has evolved.
The UFC, which often likes to add a name to its events for marketing
purposes, could easily have dubbed UFC 124 “Evolution”
as a nod to the development of the overall games of both main
event participants.
No
word better describes the process both Koscheck and St. Pierre
have gone through since last they met.
St.
Pierre was coming off a stunning knockout loss to Matt Serra
at UFC 69 when he met Koscheck at UFC 74. St. Pierre clearly
was a big-time talent, but he had a lot of questions to answer
at that stage of his career.
St.
Pierre changed many of those who were closest to him, feeling
too many told him what they thought he wanted to hear rather
than what he actually needed to hear. Like Koscheck, he threw
himself into his training in a search for answers.
He
literally traveled the world seeking knowledge. While he’s
one of the greatest athletes in the sport, his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
coach, John Danaher, said it’s St. Pierre’s ability
to absorb coaching that makes him so unique.
“He’s
mastered the art of learning,” said Danaher, a black belt
under Renzo Gracie. “His ability to learn is what has helped
him to continue to make progress over time. Most professional
mixed martial artists have a certain skill set that is associated
with them, and they use that and sustain themselves throughout
their careers with that. But he’s one of the few who continues
to change, modify and adapt and bring in new techniques over
time.”
He’s
meticulous when it comes to doing things correctly. And so, even
though he had routed the hard-punching Dan Hardy at UFC 111,
the first thing he did when he returned to the locker room was
get onto the floor and question Danaher about mistakes he made
when going for an arm bar submission in the first round.
That
kind of obsessive drive is what has made him great. And though
he has come under some criticism recently because he has failed
to finish either of his last two fights, he hasn’t let that
bother him.
He
said Hardy deserves credit for fighting his way out of the arm
bar but also said that fighting is a matter of using the right
tool and taking what it available.
“In
warfare, if you want to kill a human being, you’re going
to use a gun,” St. Pierre said. “You’re not going
to use an atomic bomb. When you want to explode a car, you’re
going to use a bazooka. You’re not going to use a bomb.
Everything I do, there is a place for it.
“If
I’m fighting one type of guy, I’m going to do certain
things to beat him. I’m not going to use all my cards and
show the whole world what I’ve got. Every time I step into
the Octagon, everything I do, I’ve been thinking about it.
“
But
like Koscheck, who alternately on Wednesday predicted either
a first- or second-round knockout, St. Pierre expects an early
ending on Saturday.
“The
goal for this fight for me is being able to finish Josh Koscheck,”
St. Pierre said. “The last time I fought him I won by decision,
but this time I want to take him out, either by knockout or submission.”
Koscheck
has the same goal and has repeatedly tried to goad St. Pierre
into a toe-to-toe slugfest.
“I’d
rather get knocked out than win a boring decision,” Koscheck
said, though he’s unlikely to turn down the belt should
he win the most boring decision in UFC history on Saturday.
Significantly,
he said proudly, he isn’t the same man he was when he lost
to St. Pierre in 2007.
Neither,
though, is St. Pierre. And that’s the intrigue in the rematch.
Both
men have undertaken significant career transformations and are
vastly better, more complete fighters than they were when they
met at UFC 74.
The
names are the same, but the script should be totally different.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Ask
the Fight Doc: What do you make of Chael Sonnen’s CSAC testosterone
case?
This
past week Chael Sonnen went before the California State Athletic
Commission to appeal a drug suspension for elevated testosterone
levels.
And
in our latest "Ask the Fight Doc" piece, readers want
to know what MMAjunkie.com medical columnist Dr. Johnny Benjamin
thinks of the situation.
More
than a few aspects of the hearing caught Dr. Benjamin's eye,
and like many MMA fans, he's left with more questions than answers
following the Dec. 2 hearing.
AdChoices
*
* * *
Can
you, the fight doc, make any sense out of the Chael Sonnen appeal
hearing with the CSAC? Scott T.
Scott,
great question. But I'm quite certain that my answer will not
win me too many friends with the power brokers and others in
high places within the MMA industry.
No
comp'd (free) fight tickets for me. I guess. Then again, I never
received any (nor have I ever asked for any)!
Some
common reasons for significantly low testosterone levels in an
otherwise healthy young man are pituitary-gland issues, primary
gonadal issues and/or side effects of anabolic steroid use. As
an FYI, pituitary dysfunction was ruled out in Sonnen's case.
So,
that leaves two likely choices with one being far more likely
than the other.
Fortunately
for Sonnen, he is employed by the UFC, a very strong global brand
with the expertise, experience and financial resources to ensure
that he properly and thoroughly was evaluated and treated by
an endocrinologist (a highly-trained specialist in these types
of disorders).
Right?
Wrong.
How
could that be? This isn't Joey Bag of Doughnuts fighting at the
local armory for Whoop that Ass promotions, after all. The UFC
prides itself on being on par with the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB
as a "major" sporting organization.
But
Sonnen was evaluated and treated by his local family practice
doctor (Dr. Mark Czarnecki, D.O.) in Dallas, Ore. After doing
background research, I have no reason to believe that Dr. Czarnecki
is not a fine, board-certified family-practice doctor of osteopathy.
But a fellowship-trained expert in endocrinology he is not (and
absolutely no disrespect is intended).
When
Dr. Czarnecki was questioned during the hearing, he said that
he was unaware of any drugs that could cause the condition for
which he had diagnosed and was treating Sonnen. Sadly, by his
own admission, this physician was unaware that testicular atrophy
and subsequent low testosterone are common and widely known side
effects of anabolic-steroid use.
Also,
the CSAC pre-fight history and physical examination form clearly
asks the fighter for specific documentation of medications and
supplements.
Testosterone
prescribed by Dr. Czarnecki and injected by Sonnen was not disclosed
on the official paperwork by the doctor or fighter. Simply put:
They both knew what they were doing, and Sonnen disclosed nothing
in the official paperwork (though Sonnen said he verbally notified
CSAC head George Dodd).
When
the California State Athletic Commission was presented with this
dubious defense, officials decided to reduce the suspension by
half to six months and maintain the $2,500 fine.
I
suggest that a six-month imposed hiatus is not a meaningful suspension
or penalty since elite fighters (Sonnen in particular) routinely
take off four to six months between fights anyway.
In
his UFC/WEC eight-fight career, Sonnen has taken at least six
months off on two occasions (March 2008-November 2008 and February
2010-August 2010).
This
is equivalent to suspending a school kid for the summer or telling
a worker on Friday at 5 p.m. that he is suspended until 9 a.m.
Monday morning. It's a joke.
He
can still earn money outside of the octagon (where the majority
of their money resides) and can continue to train. Where is the
penalty? Where are the negative consequences to dissuade the
next fighter who considers not complying with the rules?
The
CSAC has a checkered history at best and recently has unceremoniously
removed or forced out some of their commissioners. Unfortunately,
this ruling further highlights their ongoing issues and suggests
that more pruning and education needs to take place before the
CSAC can shake its murky past.
I
can honestly say that when it comes to policing the use of performance-enhancing
drugs, the UFC is no better or worse than the others. It's not
about fairness, safety or integrity of the sport. It's about
money.
Olympic-style
random urine and blood testing is long overdue; anything less
is a farce. Yeah, yeah, I know. "Who are you to say? You
probably aren't even a real doctor!"
No
worries. Just kindly keep my mother out of it.
Dr.
Johnny Benjamin is MMAjunkie.com's medical columnist and consultant
and a noted combat-sports specialist. He is also a member of
the Association of Boxing Commissions' MMA Medical Subcommittee.
Dr. Benjamin writes an "Ask the Doc" column every two
weeks for MMAjunkie.com. To submit a question for a future column,
email him at askthedoc@mmajunkie.com, or share your questions
and thoughts in the comments section below. You can find Dr.
Benjamin online at www.drjohnnybenjamin.com, and you can read
his other sports-related articles at blog.drjohnnybenjamin.com.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
books Rogers Centre for Toronto debut
After
waiting for several years to get fully licensed and regulated
in Ontario, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced what
is expected to be the biggest live event in company history on
Monday.
UFC
131 will take place April 30, 2011, at the Rogers Centre in Toronto,
the home of Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays.
The
show, UFC’s debut in a city considered to have one of mixed
martial arts’ most passionate fan bases, is the first stadium-sized
event for the company.
The
Rogers Centre, a retractable-roof dome, holds 50,516 for baseball
and has held more than 65,000 fans for its two largest-attended
events: a pair of WrestleMania cards put on by World Wrestling
Entertainment in 1990 and 2002.
Officials
did not say what sort of seating configuration the stadium would
set up, but in previous conversations with UFC president Dana
White, he said he didn’t want to ruin the UFC’s vaunted
arena atmosphere by using the entire capacity of such a large
venue.
It’s
believed that the UFC’s first event in Toronto, a city that
has consistently done some of the best MMA pay-per-view numbers
in the world for the past four years, could sell out any configuration
– if the show’s lineup is strong enough.
No
matches fpr the card were announced. From a timing standpoint,
the end of April could work for Georges St. Pierre, who would
be the biggest drawing card possible for the main event. St.
Pierre is one of Canada’s most popular athletes, and is
actually more popular in Toronto than in his home city of Montreal,
which didn’t fully embrace the sport until 2008 after Montreal
hosted its first live show.
St.
Pierre first has to get through Saturday’s fight in Montreal
with Josh Koscheck and retaining his welterweight title. He also
must do so without incurring any serious injuries in order to
make April 30 his next title defense.
Former
Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields has been mentioned
as the next contender for the welterweight championship. Another
possibility, a dream matchup of St. Pierre vs. middleweight champion
Anderson Silva, would not be impossible, but the timing makes
it difficult. Silva first has a title defense on Feb. 5 in Las
Vegas against Vitor Belfort. If a St. Pierre-Silva match is under
consideration, it couldn’t be announced until after that
date.
“Canadians
have repeatedly shown how much they love the UFC,” said
White. “Fans in Ontario have patiently waited, and it will
pay off as this one will go down in the history books come April
30. I’m very excited – Toronto is going to break the
record and host the biggest mixed martial arts event ever in
North America.”
UFC’s
record crowd is 21,340, set on April 19, 2008, for UFC 83 at
the Bell Centre in Montreal, a sold-out crowd to see St. Pierre’s
UFC welterweight title win over Matt Serra. More than 40 percent
of the tickets sold were from Ontario, where MMA is far more
popular than in Quebec. This became evident the day before at
the weigh-ins, when announcer Mike Goldberg made a remark about
the Montreal Canadians hockey team, in the playoffs at the time,
that elicited a loud chorus of boos from the crowd and showed
that it was a commuter show.
A
similar sized crowd to 2008 is expected for Saturday night’s
UFC 124. White told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday that he expects
the company attendance record to fall.
Even
if the UFC sold every seat in the former SkyDome, though, they
would not be able to break the all-time MMA record. A 2002 show
in Tokyo at the outdoor National Stadium during the heyday of
Pride and K-1 in Japan, headlined by Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Mirko
Cro Cop, drew 71,000 fans.
Though
local MMA fans have demanded a major event in Toronto for five
years, the Ontario Athletic Commission had refused to sanction
mixed martial arts. Commissioner Ken Hayashi even refused to
attend the first event in Montreal when invited.
Earlier
this year, UFC opened up a Toronto office even though the company
still was not sanctioned there, and hired Tom Wright, former
commissioner of the Canadian Football League, to head Canadian
operations. Wright used his political influence and in August,
Ontario reversed its position and this past week announced that
all the red tape had been cut through and it would start accepting
dates in 2011.
“This
announcement has been a long time coming, and we’re thrilled,”
said Wright. “Ontario is obviously a key market, as Toronto
is one of the top MMA cites in the world. We’re very thankful
to Premier Dalton McGuinty, Ministers Sophia Aggelonitis and
John Gerretssen, and the provincial government for their support
in sanctioning and regulating the sport.”
The
UFC also announced a Fan Expo to be held in conjunction with
the show. It will take place at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.
Tickets
are expected to be put on sale for the event early in early 2011.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
TUF
13 Debuts March 30, UFC Fight Night Planned March 26
The
debut for season 13 of the “Ultimate Fighter” has been
set with March 30 marked as the day the reality show returns
to Spike TV, with a UFC Fight Night event planned for March 26
as well.
News
of the two events were confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources
close to the situation. The dates were originally reported by
MMAJunkie.com.
March
26 is a Saturday night and will serve as the latest installment
of the UFC Fight Night series on Spike TV. The event will coincide
with several other UFC events planned that month, which also
include a UFC on Versus show and as MMAWeekly.com first reported
an event headed to Abu Dhabi on March 19.
Fast
forward to 4 days later when Spike debuts the newest installment
of the “Ultimate Fighter” series which is in the casting
process as of now, although coaches have not been chosen.
UFC
president Dana White said recently that he was going to sit down
and make those decisions in the near future and announcements
for the new coaches could come any day.
No
venues or locations for the events have been confirmed as of
now for the event on March 26.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Manslaughter
Conviction For Man Complicit In Charles “Mask” Lewis
Death
Jeffrey
David Kirby, the man accused of causing Tapout founder Charles
“Mask” Lewis’ death, was found guilty on Wednesday
and could face up to 13 years in prison.
According
to a report on TMZ.com, Kirby was found guilty of gross vehicular
manslaughter while intoxicated, which is a felony in California,
and will be sentenced in February 2011.
The
maximum jail time for the offense is 13 years in prison.
Lewis,
one of the founders of the popular MMA clothing brand, was killed
when his Ferrari crashed into a light pole, literally ripping
the car in half back in 2009.
The
MMA community was grief stricken over Lewis’ passing. He
was a regular figure around all events in the sport, as well
as a member of the Tapout crew, which helped support MMA since
its infancy.
Source: MMA Weekly |
TUF
12 Finale Pulls In Live Gate Of Just Over $380,000
The
final numbers are in for the “Ultimate Fighter” finale
last Saturday night in Las Vegas with the live gate pulling in
$380,025 for the show that saw Jonathan Brookins defeat Michael
Johnson to become the season 12 champion.
According
to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the TUF 12 finale show
had 1,187 tickets sold accounting for the gate, with 725 complimentary
tickets, and 239 left being unsold.
The
show took places at the Pearl in the Palms Hotel & Casino
in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Diego
Sanchez Vs. Martin Kampmann Headed To Next UFC On Versus Card
In March
Trainer
Greg Jackson said Diego Sanchez would take at least one more
fight at welterweight, and that appears to be the case as the
winner of the “Ultimate Fighter” season 1 will face
Martin Kampmann in the main event of the next UFC on Versus card
in March.
The
fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
match-up, who stated verbal agreements are in place for the welterweight
bout. MMAJunkie.com initially reported the match-up.
Returning
to his roots, Diego Sanchez (22-4) went home to New Mexico following
a couple of losses and found his way again under coaches Greg
Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn. The result was a stirring performance
by Sanchez at UFC 121 in which he defeated Paulo Thiago to get
back on track in the 170lb division.
Following
the fight, it was up in the air whether Sanchez would drop back
down to lightweight or remain at welterweight and now that question
has been answered for at least one more fight.
Returning
in March after fighting on the same night at UFC 121, Martin
Kampmann (17-4) came up short in his efforts to derail Jake Shields’
UFC debut in October. Kampmann fought a tough fight, but came
up just short losing by way of split decision.
Now
he looks to gain traction back in the welterweight division when
he faces Sanchez in a marquee fight slated for March.
While
no venue has been confirmed for the show, March 3 currently looks
like the day the UFC is targeting for their first UFC on Versus
show in 2011. MMAWeekly.com first broke the news about the only
other reported fight for the card with Mark Munoz taking on C.B.
Dollaway in a middleweight bout on the card.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Strikeforce:
Robbie Lawler Redefines Scary Knockout With Win Over Lindland
Robbie
Lawler seems to know how to redefine the category of “scary
knockout”, and he did it once again putting away Matt Lindland
with a vicious right hand to finish their fight in under a minute
at Strikeforce on Saturday night.
As
soon as the opening bell rang, Lindland immediately circled in
and looked to exchange with Lawler on the feet.
It
was a monumental mistake.
Lawler
clocked Lindland with a quick uppercut followed by a right hand
that could be heard all the way back in his opponent’s native
Oregon. Lindland dropped to the mat and rolled to try to get
a defensive position, but instead ate another huge right hand
courtesy of Robbie Lawler.
The
right hand put Lindland away, and while the referee was slow
to react, Lawler knew the fight was over and didn’t inflict
any more punishment to his obviously knocked out opponent.
Matt Lindland
After
the fight, Lawler admitted that he had a feeling that while Lindland
was the more dominant wrestler going into the fight, he believed
a stand-up fight would ensue.
“I
concentrated on him standing with me and he did,” Lawler
commented.
A
thunderous knockout puts Robbie Lawler right back in the mix
for the Strikeforce 185lb title, but he’s happy to face
whoever they put in front of him next. Sooner rather than later.
“I’m
going to go take a one day break, go back in the gym and talk
to my manager, see what he wants and I’m fighting anyone,”
Lawler said following the win.
Lindland
falls to 1-3 in his last four fights, with two of those coming
by way of devastating knockout
Source: MMA Weekly |
Strikeforce
Results: Antonio Silva Gets TKO Win, Ovince St. Preux Dominates
For Decision
Antonio
Silva made his presence known in St. Louis as he defeated Mike
Kyle by technical knockout in the second round of their Strikeforce
bout.
The
Brazilian heavyweight was in trouble early when he ate a tremendous
right hand from Kyle in the first round. From there, Kyle tried
finishing the fight with hammer fists and a variety of punches
on the ground, but he couldn’t get through Silva’s
guard enough to land anything effective.
In
the second round, Silva came out as the aggressor and landed
a strong right hand early. A kick and takedown later, Silva put
the fight on the ground where he would ultimately finish it.
After a failed attempt at a D’Arce choke, Silva worked his
way into full mount. At that point, it was all she wrote for
Kyle as Silva rained down massive hammer fists. “Big”
John McCarthy pulled Silva off Kyle for the TKO victory at 2:49
of the second round.
“He
connected. I wasn’t dizzy,” Silva said about the first
round of the fight.
Ovince St. Preux and Benji Radach
Ovince
St. Preux and Benji Radach
As
far as his next bout goes, Silva said that he “doesn’t
pick opponents” and that he would fight anyone that Strikeforce
puts in front of him next.
Benji
Radach’s return to regular competition was a tough one as
Ovince St. Preux dominated him for the duration of their fight.
Radach, who hasn’t fought since April of 2009, came back
to a hungry St. Preux at light heavyweight. Radach showed some
life in the beginning of the third round, but ultimately couldn’t
answer St. Preux, giving up his back for a majority of the fight
and allowing points to be scored from that position.
The
fight went to decision with Ovince St. Preux defeating Benji
Radach by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25).
Source: MMA Weekly |
Silva:
“If Demian understands why he’s in there, he’ll
be the next champion”
Brazil’s
Sensei Sportv martial arts television program will wrap up 2010
with one of the most heavily-anticipated interviews of the year.
Record holder in straight wins in the UFC, record holder in title
defenses who took more than 280 blows to his face over five rounds
and with an injured rib, Anderson Silva had Brazilian fans on
tenterhooks for nearly twenty-five minutes, but then showed why
he is considered the best fighter ever to enter the octagon by
finishing off Chael Sonnen. The fight was just voted the fight
of the year at the MMA Awards ceremony this week in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
In
the interview with reporter Mario Filho, Anderson reveals all
that went on in the lead-up (including the provocations and training
injury), during, and in the wake of the fight that put the “Spider”
back on the list of UFC president Dana White’s darlings
and even put the champion in high standing with the Jiu-Jitsu
community, which bore witness not just to the technique learned
from Rodrigo Minotauro, but the will power it took to pursue
victory till the very end, while taking an surprising and unprecedented
beating all the while.
Anderson
confirms he has at least another five fights on his latest contract
and that he will indeed carry on in the middleweight mix, even
though Dana White jumps out of his seat with euphoria when he
sees him laying waste to his opponents in the light heavyweight
division. His next showdown, against also-Brazilian Vitor Belfort
set for February 2011, is another highlight of the interview,
but breaking from the character he’s shown through past
statements, Andersonn really seems to have learned and matured
a great deal through the repercussions of his last two fights
(Demian Maia and Chael Sonnen), and chose his words carefully,
candidly, but masterfully dodged controversy. And he even said:
“If
Demian comes to understand why he’s in there, he’ll
be the next guy to have and defend the middleweight belt for
a long time.”
Silva
also addresses his partnership and classes with Hollywood star
and aikido master Steven Seagal, says Cigano will be the future
UFC heavyweight champion, what motivates and demotivates him
at this point in his career, and much more.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Paulão
all set for BC “Corinthians”
One
of the most attention-grabbing fighters on the card for this
Saturday’s Bitetti Combat 8 in São Paulo is Paulão
Filho. Coming off a loss, the former WEC champion and one of
Brazil’s bigger MMA stars is already in São Paulo,
where he will shed the final kilo before weighing in, this Friday
night. Paulão is all set to get back on top.
“I
feel great. Actually, I always feel great. I know what may happen
and I’ve learned a lot from my losses. One thing I’ve
always had is confidence, that’s why I’ve always agreed
to fight anybody, regardless of whether I was in good shape or
not. I was always down to fight anybody,” he says.
“To
fight, to be in the ring, I just can’t stop doing that.
The problem is that I really did get demotivated, not from fighting,
but from training hard every day to be in shape. That’s
happened to a lot of fighters. I’ve also had problems, which
folks already know. But I’m fine, ready for this fight,”
he adds.
Paulão
will face Japan’s Yuki Sassaki, a seasoned fighter with
experience in major international events. The fight was supposed
to have happened back at BC 6.
“Sassaki
talked smack about me in the ring the last time he was here,
when we didn’t end up fighting. He played his rold. Sassaki,
regardless of the results, is a seasoned fighter who has even
fought in the UFC. I can only thank him for coming here to face
me. It’s an important fight. Imagine what it will be like
for him in Japan if he beats me here in Brazil. It will be really
important to him and that makes it a greater challenge for me,”
says Paulão, who reminisces about the good old days back
when he used to fight in the Land of the Rising Sun.
I
won all the fights I was in in Japan. They may say I didn’t
fight the best or whatever, but I won them all. I really miss
it there,” he says in closing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Langhi
analyzes 2011: “The project is win everything”
Michael
Langhi hasn’t tasted defeat since the 2008 Worlds, when
he was stopped in the semifinal against Celso Venicius, the only
time in six attempts that he didn’t win the championship.
Back from England and fully recovered from his injured shoulder,
Langhi is enjoying one of the best phases in his life. He bought
an apartment and now lives with his fiancee, Roberta de Oliveira,
who always supported the black belt through thick and thin. Better
still, by mere coincidence, his new pad is just a stone’s
throw from the new Alliance branch in São Paulo about
to be inaugurated.
“Now
there’s no excuse for being late to warmup. I have to be
there first to arrive and last to leave,” he jokes.
In
his conversation with GRACIEMAG.com, the submission wizard speaks
of his goals for next season and analyzes the opposition:
What
was the experience in England like?
It’s
always an opportunity to meet people and get to know cultures
and I from what I could see the technical level in England is
really high. I went to three of Jacaré’s affiliates,
and they’re doing a great job. I would have liked to have
met up with Bráulio and Victor Estima but the dates didn’t
coincide.
How’s
your shoulder? Are you back to hard training yet?
My
shoulder’s been 100% for nearly two months now. I’ve
been training normally, full on, and even with the heavier guys
on the team, like Bernardo (Faria). What helped was having done
physical conditioning with Edson Ramalho after the operation.
So, despite the lack of rhythm, I’m doing fine. I’m
going along in life normally, thinking ahead to the European
Open, in January.
Last
year you stayed out of a few competitions. What will 2011 be
like?
My
project is to compete in and win everything. In 2010, due to
my shoulder problem, I had to stay ouyt of the Brazilian Nationals
and the World Pro, but I did win the European Open, the Pan,
and the Worlds, which are the most important ones. In 2011 I’m
not going to miss any of them. I sat down and talked with Fabio
Gurgel and my physical conditioning coach and I’m going
to the European Open, Pan, World Pro, Brazilian Nationals, and
the Worlds.
During
your time sidelined, Gilbert Durinho and Augusto Tanquinho stood
out in your division. Will they be your main opponents in 2011?
I
feel I’m going to have the same adversaries as always, except
for the guys who moved up in belt. Durinho is excellent. With
exception to the Worlds, where we met in the semifinal, he’s
won everything he’s been in this year. Tanquinho is great,
too, and he’s seen a leap in his evolution this year. He
has enormous potential. That’s how lightweight is, its a
stacked division, and alongside middleweight, it’s the one
with the most athletes who have what it takes to be world champion.
At the last one there were about seven who wouldn’t have
surprised anyone if they’d won.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Dan
Henderson gets Feijao fight next, Lawler says Lindland was very
predictable
Before
we get to the interview transcripts, I want you to check out
this interview Ariel Helwani did with Scott Coker. Not a lot
of newsworthy items in the interview, but some of the answers
to the questions may catch your eye. I thought he ’split
the baby’ when it came to talking about retirement for both
Scott Smith and Matt Lindland. It was a “they need to sit
down and have a conversation” answer. However, the fact
that he didn’t say ‘no’ to the notion of retirement
for either fighter said a lot (to me, anyways).
Josh
Gross notes that the Strikeforce show in St. Louis drew 7,146
at the cavernous Scottrade Center. Strikeforce has consistently
drawn mediocre numbers for their St. Louis events, but I’m
not inclined at all to blame that on St. Louis being cold to
MMA. Far from it.
CREDIT
TO MMAFighting.com and Ariel Helwani
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Robbie, considering Matt Lindland, considering
you’re here in St. Louis, can you describe the emotions
that you’re feeling right now after such a vicious knockout?”
ROBBIE
LAWLER: “Uh, it’s always nice to knock someone out.
It’s always nice to get a big win. Uh… Matt just came
out and just probably should have wrestled a little more and
I was just ready for him to stand with me.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Were you surprised that he did that?”
ROBBIE
LAWLER: “No, that was my game plan. I thought this guy thinks
he’s going to come out and exchange with me, then look to
close the distance and I think I did a good job where I was moving
and slipping his punches a little bit and throwing hard leather
where he couldn’t just close the distance. But, uh, I expected
him to stand.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “By the way, I think the interview’s officially
longer than the fight. Pretty amazing, right? I mean, you almost
feel like you want to fight again, right? I mean you’re
not even tired.”
ROBBIE
LAWLER: “Yeah, if this was a tournament, I’d be ready
for that second one for sure. Hopefully Matt’s OK and I’m
looking forward to training on Monday.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Did you feel as though, um, you know, after what
happened in your last fight that you needed an emphatic victory
here tonight to sort of reassert yourself at 185 here?”
ROBBIE
LAWLER: “No, I don’t really care. I mean, usually when
I win it’s usually pretty exciting and it’s usually
by knockout. So, that’s how I fight all the time. I don’t
press to do anything spectacular. That’s just the way I
fight. I go hard, I go to try to finish people, I go to take
people’s heads off.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “At this point do you think Matt should, you know,
reconsider fighting the top tier guys?”
ROBBIE
LAWLER: “Uh, that’s on him. He should go back and talk
to his family and that’s on him, I’m not going to make
any of those calls for him.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “And how about you? You’re only 28 years old,
yet it feels as though you’ve been fighting for 20 years.
You know, what do need to do now to just keep improving and to
really get back in that title chase?”
ROBBIE
LAWLER: “Uh, I’m going to be training with good guys,
plain and simple. There’s some guys in Arizona I’m
going to be working with that are opening up a new gym. I’m
hoping to be a part of that, really good guys, big guys, big
strong wrestlers and I’m going to keep wrestling, keep working
on my striking and keep working on being faster and stronger.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Henderson
knocks out Babalu, should face Feijão in title fight
Dan
Henderson’s rematch with Renato “Babalu” Sobral
lasted a little over two minutes. Whereas the first encounter
between the two, at Rings back in 2000, ended with Henderson
winning on points, this time he left no doubt, landing his heavy
hands for the first-round knockout.
The
big winner on a night marked by knockouts, Hendo should now go
on to face light heavyweight champion Rafel “Feijão”
Cavalcante, and Anderson Silva and Nogueira brothers student.
Strikeforce
Saint Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
December 4, 2010
J.W.
Wright sub mitted Josh Epps via guillotine at 1:29 min of R1
Booker
DeRousse defeated Coltin Cole via technical knockout at 3:04
min of R2
Mike
Glenn defeated Lee Brousseau via technical knockout at2 mn of
R1
Matt
Ricehouse defeated Tom Aaron via unanimous decision
Cortez
Coleman submitted Lucas Lopes via guillotine at 2:04 min of 1R
Patrick
Cummins defeated Terrell Brown via technical knockout at 2:44
min of round 1.
Justin
Lawrence defeated Max Martytniouk via unanimous decision
Fernando
Bettega defeated Wayne Phillips via split decision
Main
card
Ovince
St. Preux defeated Benji Radach via unanimous decision
Antonio
Pezão Silva defeated Mike Kyle via technical knockout
at 2:49 min of R2
Robbie
Lawler knocked out Matt Lindland at 0.50 min of R1
Paul
Daley knocked out Scott Smith at 2:09 min of R1
Dan
Henderson knocked out Renato Sobral at 1:53 min of R1
Source: Gracie Magazine |
High-profile
loss spurred Brookins to success
LAS
VEGAS – Jonathan Brookins’ biggest claim to fame before
he joined the cast of Season 12 on “The Ultimate Fighter”
was losing a fight in 2008 to Jose Aldo.
Aldo
is a sensational fighter, among the three or four best in the
world, and losing to him is hardly a shame. Brookins may never
put Aldo completely behind him, but after grinding out a unanimous-decision
victory Saturday over Michael Johnson at the Palms Casino, Brookins
may be known for something other than a loss.
He
won the TUF championship by surviving a first-round onslaught
and then methodically using his wrestling to wear down his good
buddy, claiming a 29-28 decision on all three cards.
“Not
many days go by without someone bringing that up. I’m still
the guy who fought Jose Aldo,” Brookins said after completing
his unlikely journey to the TUF title. “It’s an honor,
I guess, but I don’t even know what to say about it. He’s
got to be tired of hearing that. He’s got to be saying to
himself, ‘I already beat that kid down. How is he still
around?’ ”
Johnson
had to be asking how Brookins was still around after the first
round. Johnson’s standup was the difference in the fight
in the first round, and at times in the opening five minutes,
it seemed like he was outclassing Brookins. He landed a counter
left early that dropped Brookins and had the potential to end
the fight.
Johnson
hesitated in going for the kill for a split second, and it may
have wound up costing him the title. He lamented the fact afterward,
knowing he’d given away his best opportunity.
“I
hit him with some big shots and I looked up and I noticed I dropped
him a little bit late,” Johnson said. “I said, ‘I
guess I lost my time to finish.’ He did a great job of recovering.
I just made a mistake and took a back step just a little too
much. I let him recover from that knockdown. I really don’t
know what happened between the first and second round.”
What
happened was that Brookins remembered his game plan and stuck
to it religiously after the first. Even though his heroes are
legendary boxers Jack Johnson, Joe Louis and “Sugar”
Ray Robinson, he’s not going to outslug anyone, particularly
someone with fast hands like Johnson. Brookins needed to get
the fight to the ground and begin to maul Johnson, the way he
did to Ran Weathers, Sevak Magakian, Sako Chivitchian and Kyle
Watson during the filming of the reality series.
Brookins
took Johnson down repeatedly over the final two rounds and held
Johnson down for long stretches. He never again got the idea
of standing and trading blows with Johnson.
He
felt the power of Johnson, who calls his fighting alter ego “The
Menace,” and knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere by
slugging with a slugger.
“He’s
definitely done a lot of improving since the last time we’ve
sparred,” Brookins said of Johnson. “I remember him
saying, ‘When you get in the cage with ‘The Menace,’
it’s a different story.’ I wondered what ‘The
Menace’ was like in the cage because I only knew Michael.
I didn’t know ‘The Menace,’ but ‘The Menace’
is legit, man. It was serious. It was a lot of fun.
“I
just think it was the same game plan. I kept on sticking to it.
I knew I was having trouble getting the takedowns in the first
round, but I knew the ground area was more my game. He had done
more improving in the standup than I did during our time in the
house. I still have a lot of improving to do in that area. I
just tried to maintain focus and get it to my area, where I felt
more comfortable.”
Johnson
seemed like he was unprepared for what Brookins might attempt,
appearing as if he didn’t have an answer when the fight
would go to the ground.
But
appearances can be deceiving. Johnson was plenty ready for Brookins’
ground game. Brookins was just better than he thought.
“From
here on out, it’s jiu-jitsu, day in and day out,” Johnson
said. “I have to get better off my back. That’s the
weak part of my game.”
And
it’s why Brookins, and not Johnson, is the TUF 12 champion.
And now Brookins has a talking point whenever anyone brings up
his Aldo fight.
But
their business is probably not over. Brookins said he’s
interested in going back to fight again at featherweight and,
perhaps, getting another shot at Aldo.
“It’s
been a goal of mine since I lost that fight [to fight him again],”
Brookins said. “I made the decision not too long after I
lost that fight to make the best of it. It only took a couple
of hours and I realized it was a great learning experience and
I needed to go forward and make it a positive.
“It’s
turned out to be a positive. I wouldn’t even have made it
on the show if it wasn’t for people saying, ‘Hey, that’s
the kid who fought Jose Aldo.’ It’s ironic how things
work. It’s been an interesting chain of events. I’m
happy that I haven’t shaken that stigma yet, because he
is such a great fighter. I don’t go into many fights without
thinking of that learning lesson. He taught me so many lessons.
I thought I was the best fighter in the world. I thought there
wasn’t a 145-er who could touch me and he humbled me. I
learned so many lessons from him.”
He
applied those lessons Saturday in his fight with Johnson.
The
kid who lost to Jose Aldo proved by winning the TUF championship
that not all losses are the same. That was a defeat that changed
a man’s life.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
‘TUF
12 Finale’ Bonuses: 4 Fighters Pocket $30K
Nam Phan came up on the losing end of a highly controversial
split decision in his fight with Leonard Garcia, but at least
the “Ultimate Fighter 12” semifinalist won’t walk
away from the bout completely empty-handed.
Phan
and Garcia each earned bonuses of $30,000 after UFC officials
declared their three-round featherweight affair “Fight of
the Night” from Saturday’s “The Ultimate Fighter
12 Finale,” which took place at the Palms Casino Resort
in Las Vegas.
Using
crisp boxing, Phan got the better of Garcia on the feet in the
opening round, lighting his larger opponent up with accurate
punches as Garcia swung wildly. The Vietnamese American twice
rocked Garcia in the second, nearly ending the fight with a rear-naked
choke toward the end of the frame. The close final round saw
an exhausted-but-unrelenting Garcia continuing to attack, but
Phan’s punches continued to find their marks as Garcia’s
hands hung by his side. Nonethless, judges Adalaide Byrd and
Tony Weeks scored the bout 29-28 in Garcia’s favor. The
only dissenting judge, Junichiro Kamijo, saw all three rounds
for Phan.
Meanwhile,
another featherweight, Pablo Garza, scored the only knockout
of the evening, making him a shoo-in for the $30,000 “Knockout
of the Night” bonus. The “Scarecrow” needed less
than a minute to separate opponent Fredson Paixao from consciousness,
landing a brutal flying knee at the 51-second mark which left
Paixao prostrate on the canvas. After several tense minutes,
a still-wobbly Paixao would leave the cage under his own power.
Lastly,
the $30,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus went to
“TUF 12” contestant Cody McKenzie, who used his signature
guillotine choke to force a tap from cast-mate Aaron Wilkinson
just two minutes into their lightweight bout.
Source: Sherdog
|
Edson
comments first knockout on UFC
Edson
Junior, now known as Edson Barboza, couldnt have a better debut
on the American octagon than the one he had. The Brazilian did
his debut on UFC 123 and got an impressive knockout based on
low kicks.
On
a chat with TATAME, Edson tells how was the anxiety of going
through his first fight on the greatest MMA event on earth. The
debut was good, thanks God everything worked out just fine. I
was well trained and confident on my work. So that made me be
calm, tells Edson. Blocking his opponents leg with powerful low
kicks, Edson obligated the referee to interrupt the fight on
the beginning of the third round. My game plan wasnt to finish
him with low kicks, I was just fighting, waiting for him to give
me some chance to win the fight, and as the fight kept going
on, I realized I could win by doing that, so I kept on kicking
him, reveals the Brazilian.
In
two distinct moments of the fight, Edson had to defend two gogoplatas,
the strong point of his opponent, Mike Lullo. At any moment the
gogoplatas bothered me because minutes before I got inside the
cage I asked my coaches how could I defend myself from that position.
He couldnt really get me, I just didnt want to give him my arm
or expose myself, explains Edson. Making his debut in front of
17 thousand persons, who filled the gym of Detroit, United States,
Edson says he could do what he had been training to do. This
victory was a good one since it was my debut, the crowd liked
it, and it was great because I managed to do what Ive been training
to do and what me and my team had planed.
Thinking
about future opponents, the Brazilian wont stop working hard
to keep winning. Now Im just waiting for UFCs call, Im their
employee. I want to fight, fight and fight, and I want to make
some space for me and build a great career for me on UFC, tells
the fighter, who also thank all that supported him on his journey.
First
of all, Id like to thank to the lord and savior Jesus Christ,
thank my team, the guys who helped me a lot, my coach Oualy,
Armonys family, along with Joe Mullings and Alex Davis, my master
Anderson Franca, my wife, who is always there with me, my family,
that even far away, send me good messages and support me to train
more and more. And all who like to watch a good fight, you can
e sure that Edson will always being his best and will try to
get a KO or a submission and bring you a good fight.
Source: Tatame
|
With
Quick KO, 40-Year-Old Dan Henderson Proves He's Far From Done
Put
away the rocking chair, Dan Henderson is not ready for the retirement
home just yet. Writing Henderson off was the instinct of some
fans and media after Henderson's last fight, saying he'd gotten
old fast and that his days as an elite fighter were gone for
good.
Even
in this sport where we're usually forced to come to conclusions
based on 15 minutes of observation -- and often less -- it was
a severe overreaction.
As
long as Henderson brings his thunderous right hand, his granite
chin and wrestling pedigree, he'll have the opportunity to be
in any fight. Just ask Renato "Babalu" Sobral, who
tried and failed on a takedown try, and paid for it by eating
a series of hellacious right hands that turned his lights out
in less than two minutes in the main event of last night's Strikeforce
show.
True,
Henderson did not look himself when he fought Jake Shields back
in March. But it's been practically forgotten that Henderson
had a huge first round against Shields, a 10-8 frame in which
Henderson nearly KO'd Shields on more than one occasion. It didn't
happen, and Shields' tenacious style resulted in a wrestling-heavy
series of rounds that culminated in a Shields' decision win.
Henderson
is a man's man, and he made no excuses for the loss, but unbeknowst
to most, he was suffering from a back injury that no doubt affected
his performance and ability to stop the takedown.
That
injury has had precious healing time in the eight months between
fights, and the mobility that betrayed him against Shields seemed
to return against Sobral.
If
his back and overall health hold up, Henderson will continue
to be a handful for anyone in Strikeforce, middleweight, light-heavyweight
and beyond. Once primarily a wrestler, Henderson has evolved
in a way similar to the style formerly emplyed by ex-UFC light-heavyweight
champ Chuck Liddell, using his wrestling in reverse to stay upright,
where he feels he can knock out anyone.
Liddell,
who once upon a time had the ability to eat hard strikes with
little sign of damage, was eventually done in by an inability
to take punches, his career likely coming to a close after being
knocked out in four of his last six fights (while the UFC Hall
of Famer has yet to officially retire, UFC president Dana White
says he'll never fight again).
Henderson
has yet to show any signs of his previous career wars catching
up to him in that way. He's thrown down with sluggers Wanderlei
Silva (twice), Vitor Belfort, Rampage Jackson and Anderson Silva,
and he's still never been knocked out in a career that has stretched
past over a decade.
True,
it's probably not the best way to extend a career, but at 40,
Henderson's already beyond the age at which most fighters remain
relevant at a top level.
Because
of his style, along with the right hand that Strikeforce play-by-play
man Mauro Ranallo christened "The H-Bomb" last night,
Henderson will continue to have a place in the game. Likely next
up is a Strikeforce light-heavyweight championship match against
Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante.
"I
think that would be the natural fit for the next fight,"
Coker told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani after Henderson's win.
Cavalcante
and Henderson would very likely be a real crowd-pleaser, a couple
of thumpers looking to take each other out. Prior to facing Sobral,
Henderson told MMA Fighting that he hoped for a quick turnaround
between fights, and would like to fight again in March. Henderson
injured his hand during the knockout, but barring any serious
diagnosis, he may get his chance to once again strap gold around
his waist.
Even
winners have skeptics, but finishers make believers, and last
night, Henderson dropped an H-Bomb of reality on us: at 40, he's
still a championship contender.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Rikuhei
Fujii Claims King of Pancrase Crown
TOKYO
-- Pancrase's penultimate event of the year at Differ Ariake
on Sunday featured three title fights in which all participants
had met in the ring before.
Light
heavyweight King of Pancrase Ryo Kawamura made a small step towards
redeeming himself from his embarrassing knockout loss to Yuji
Sakuragi in September as he managed to fight to a tense majority
draw in the rematch for the belt.
Yuki
Kondo was looking for redemption as he dropped a unanimous decision
to Wajutsu Keishukai RJW's Rikuhei Fujii in Cage Force back in
September, but it was spoiled as Fujii again outworked the 85-fight
veteran on the feet and on the canvas to claim Kondo's crown.
In
the fight of the night, current flyweight King of Pancrase Kiyotaka
Shimizu and former champ Mitsuhisa Sunabe fought to an entertaining
split draw in their rubber match. Sunabe pushed the action early
and scored well with strikes while Shimizu came home strong to
even the score and retain his crown.
With
the memory of his first-round TKO to Yuji Sakuragi haunting him,
Ryo Kawamura almost cost himself the belt this time around by
doing nothing in the first round other than circling and pawing
with his jab. Kawamura's tentative start left Sakuragi free to
strike without fear of a counter and allowed him to show off
his arsenal of kicks. Through the second and third rounds, Kawamura
finally started to get his confidence and employ his jab, evening
up the two of the score cards and although Sakuragi won one judges
favor, the belt was returned to the champion.
One-time
UFC light heavyweight title contender Yuki Kondo held his own
through the first two rounds with Rikuhei Fujii and the experience
of an 85-fight career dating back to 1996 gave the defending
middleweight king the tools to deal with Fujii's reach advantage
on the feet. Although Fujii was scoring better on the feet, Kondo's
stayed in the pocket his taller opponent and negated the height
difference as best he could.
The
fight was up for grabs going into the final round and Fujii took
the initiative right from the bell, taking the defending champion
down, where Kondo spent all but the last 10 seconds of the fight
on his back in half-guard, defending punches and Fujii's attempts
at advancing to mount. This last round from the challenger was
enough to win his second consecutive fight against Kondo and
also claim the title of King of Pancrase.
Flyweight
King of Pancrase Kiyotaka Shimizu retained his crown with after
fighting to a split draw with the man he took the crown from,
Mitsuhisa Sunabe.
Sunabe
was getting the better of the defending champion as he was landing
consistently with power punches on the feet and scored a knock
down in the second round but Shimizu's relentless takedowns evened
the score cards despite Sunabe's tendency to escape through the
ropes. The defining moment of the fight came with just under
a minute left when Sunabe took a finger in the eye prompting
a lengthy doctor check. After some time, Sunabe declared himself
fit to continue but was immediately swarmed on, giving Shimizu
just the points he needed to get the draw and keep his belt.
There
aren't many worse ways for the final fight of your career to
go. Sengoku veteran Tomonari Kanomata took down the retiring
Kenji Arai as the opening bell was still ringing, got Arai's
back and choked him out 24 seconds into round one with no issues
whatsoever. Arai, a mainstay of Pancrase since 2002 and one-time
PRIDE participant retires with an even record of 15-15-5.
Masahiro
Toryu picked up his second clean head kick knockout of the year
with a devastating victory over Grabaka's Kei Yamamiya. Toryu
had Yamimiya in the mindset to defend the takedowns as he had
pushed for the clinch and double legs for the first four minutes
of the bout but with nine seconds left in the opening round,
Toryu threw a snapping high kick to Yamamiya's jaw that send
him falling stiffly to the canvas.
The
bout between 2000 Greco-Roman Olympic silver medalist Katsuhiko
Nagata and PANCRSEism's Koji Oishi was unfortunately marred by
Oishi complaining of head clashes, low blows and the fight spilling
out of the ring during takedowns. The awkward bout made it to
the final bell though and neither Nagata's takedowns or Oishi's
kicks were enough to win the favor of the judges and the bout
was declared a split draw.
In
the evening's sole women's bout, Akiko "Betiko" Naito
narrowly avoided a first round stoppage after her technical striking
was overwhelmed by Tomomi "Windy" Sunaba's power but
the Wajutsu Keishukai RJW fighter rallied with takedowns and
ground control in the second and final round to make it to the
final bell. Her second round performance was not rewarded though
as judges awarded "Windy" the majority decision. "Windy"
had a five-fight winless streak in 2008-09 but has managed to
put together four consecutive victories in 2010.
Seiki
Ryo got his first win in over nine years with a 28-second TKO
over Daisuke Watanabe. Ryo started his career 7-0 but early meetings
with Nate Marquardt, Kazuo Misaki and Hidehiko Hasegawa saw him
add eight losses and three draws to his name.
In
the evening's opening bout, Kazushi Sakuraba pupil Takenori Sato's
excellent display of top control and aggressive submission attempts
led to him take a unanimous decision over Alliance Square's Shingo
Suzuki.
Pancrase
2010 Passion Tour, December 5th, 2010 at Differ Ariake in Tokyo,
Japan
Light-Heavyweight
King Of Pancrase Title Fight
Ryo Kawamura vs. Yuji Sakuragi - Majority Draw
Middleweight
King Of Pancrase Title Fight
Rikuhei Fujii def. Yuki Kondo by Unanimous Decision
Flyweight
King Of Pancrase Title Fight
Kiyotaka Shimizu vs. Mitsuhisa Sunabe - Split Draw
Tomonari
Kanomata def. Kenji Arai by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked
Choke) - Round 1, 0.24
Masahiro Toryu def. Kei Yamamiya by KO (Head Kick) - Round 1,
4.51
Katsuhiko Nagata vs. Koji Oishi - Split Draw
Tomomi "Windy Tomomi" Sunaba def. Akiko "Betiko"
Naito by Majority Decision
Seiki Ryo def. Daisuke Watanabe by TKO (Referee Stoppage) - Round
1, 0.28
Takenori Sato def. Shingo Suzuki by Unanimous Decision
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Sonnen
suspension halved in complicated case
SACRAMENTO,
Calif. – After nearly three hours of at-times contentious
debate, the California State Athletic Commission voted on Thursday
to reduce Chael Sonnen’s suspension after testing positive
for elevated levels of testosterone following his middleweight
championship fight on Aug. 7 in Oakland against Anderson Silva.
A
number of questions, regarding disclosure, credibility and fairness
of punishment came during the hearing before commissioners voted
3-1 to reduce Sonnen’s suspension from a year to six months.
His $2,500 fine was upheld. Sonnen will be eligible to fight
again in March.
The
six-month suspension came about after a proposal to retain the
one-year suspension deadlocked, 2-2. Commissioners DeWayne Zinkin
and Dr. Van Lemon spoke in favor of retaining the one year-suspension,
but were unable to get the needed third vote. Commissioner John
Frierson then recommended cutting the sentence in half, to six
months, as a compromise. Lemon seemed to go along grudgingly,
as did Zinkin, giving the motion the needed three votes.
Another commissioner, Steve Alexander, seemed more sympathetic
to Sonnen’s side and did not concur with the majority. A
fifth commissioner, Eugene Hernandez, was present for most of
the hearing but left shortly before the vote in order to catch
a flight.
Sonnen,
a heavy underdog, going against Silva, considered by many at
the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, dominated the
middleweight champion for four straight rounds. But victory in
one of the most dramatic matches in UFC history was snatched
from him as he fell victim to a triangle choke and armbar with
less than two minutes left in the fight.
The
complicated case came down to Sonnen, his lawyers, and Dr. Mark
Czarnecki, who diagnosed him with a condition called hypergonadism
on January 11, 2008, and prescribed him twice-weekly testosterone
shots. Sonnen said he was diagnosed with this condition because
he was having conditioning issues while training.
“He
complained of extreme fatigue, extreme exhaustion and mental
fogginess,” testified Czarnecki, who said Sonne’s condition
was caused by a low production of testosterone. “We did
tests to determine if there was pituitary involvement or a gonad
deficiency. A second test showed Sonnen’s pituitary gland
functioning normally, therefore he had a gonadal deficiency.
… Testosterone is a common treatment for this condition.”
Czarnecki
claimed it would not be healthy for Sonnen to compete in a sport
that puts such intense stress on the body without such therapy.
He said it was in the interest of Sonnen’s safety that he
needed this treatment, which Sonnen said consisted of self-administered
shots of testosterone every Monday and Thursday.
“Chael’s
body would not tolerate the extreme stress associated with such
a sport with the amount of trauma to the body,” said Czarnecki.
“His healing would be deteriorated. His blood level would
decrease He would not have adequate oxygenation. If he broke
a bone it wouldn’t heal quickly. I wouldn’t authorize
him to fight. It would not be safe.”
However,
Czarnecki’s credibility was immediately called into question
when asked if there were any drugs that could cause this condition
and he said he wasn’t aware of them. Commissioner Lemon
noted that use of steroids can result in tests showing a deficiency
in testosterone.
There
have also been claims that years of extreme weight cutting could
possibly cause a similar condition. Sonnen, 33, had been competing
in wrestling at a high level since childhood, and MMA since college,
both sports in which significant weight cutting is part of the
culture.
“At
best this case is about Mr. Sonnen’s failure to alert officials
to his long-term use of an injectable testosterone, at worst
it is about his attempt to use a performance enhancing drug,”
said Alfredo Terrazas, the senior assistant attorney general
for licensing and litigation in California, who presented the
case against Sonnen.
Terrazas
went on to state that while Sonnen did reveal to the commission
the day before the fight that he had used testosterone, he failed
to disclose the info on his pre-fight medical questionnaire or
the reasons for his usage. On Sonnen’s disclosure form,
he listed Advil, multivitamins, vitamin C, iron and aspirin,
but not testosterone.
“At
no time did he inform anyone from the commission this drug use
was part of a treatment, nor did the commissioner feel he had
the authority to prevent the fight from going forward without
a drug test.”
It
has not been uncommon for athletes, particularly in non-drug
tested sports, to get testosterone legally prescribed by doctors
by rigging the timing of taking blood tests right after ending
a steroid cycle. This would show evidence of low natural testosterone
production.
Sonnen
tested positive for testosterone at a 16.9-to-1 testosterone
to epitestosterone ratio. Normal levels are 1-to-1, and allowable
levels in most sports, including by the CSAC, is 4-to-1. Sonnen
claimed he had a spiked ratio because he took a shot the day
before he was tested. The commission has approved of testosterone
therapy, but only to get levels back to normal levels, not increased
levels that would provide for enhanced performance.
In
cases of this type that have been approved, it has been because
the athlete informed the commission well ahead of time, allowing
the commission, the commission’s medical advisers and the
fighter’s doctor to go through records and examine the case,
which didn’t happen in this case.
Sonnen’s
team produced eight tests showing levels at lower than average
to average levels, not levels that would indicate performance
enhancement qualities. But those tests were not taken at the
time of the Silva fight.
Dr.
Gary Furness of the commission noted that he twice asked Sonnen
if he was taking any other drugs, and both times Sonnen said
that he wasn’t.
Sonnen
claimed he didn’t list testosterone on the form because
other fighters were around as he was filling out the form and
felt it would cause him embarrassment, but noted that he did
personally tell George Dodd, the executive officer of the commission,
later in a private conversation.
The
Oregon-based fighter also claimed he thought the condition had
already been addressed in California when he fought Yushin Okami
on October 24, 2009, in Los Angeles, citing a phone call from
the commission to his manager, Matt Lindland, saying everything
was OK.
He
also claimed he believed Dr. Jeff Davidson, who he said he had
been talking with about his condition, was a California State
Athletic Commission doctor, so the commission was also aware
from that angle.
Davidson
is actually affiliated with the UFC. Marc Ratner, UFC’s
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs said Davidson was formerly
a doctor with the Nevada commission and is now an independent
contractor who at times works with the company.
However,
Dodd testified that they searched and could find no records or
paperwork related to the claim of the commission’s awareness
of Sonnen’s condition from the 2009 fight.
Dodd
said Sonnen did mention it to him, but gave no reason as to why
he would be taking the drug. Dodd said he didn’t have the
authority to call off the fight, even though Sonnen admitted
using a banned steroid without commission approval, without evidence
from a positive test result, based on commission bylaws.
During
the time frame Sonnen says he has been taking twice-per-week
testosterone shots, he has fought seven times. But the Silva
fight was the first during that period during which he tested
positive. He fought three times in Nevada, twice in California,
once in the U.K. (where UFC’s Ratner oversees testing),
and once in Florida. Based on his position on the respective
cards, he should have been tested on at least five occasions.
Sonnen
claimed he had discussed this situation with Keith Kizer, the
executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, so
it wasn’t an issue in that state, but Kizer told reporter
Josh Gross in an email that such a conversation never happened.
Sonnen
had been scheduled for a title rematch with Silva at the time
his test came back positive. UFC president Dana White did not
immediately respond to a message asking about where Sonnen’s
title aspirations would stand now that he sentence was reduced.
Silva is scheduled to face Vitor Belfort, Sonnen’s replacement,
on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas. Yushin Okami, who Sonnen defeated last
year, is scheduled to receive a shot at the winner.
White
apparently had awareness of Sonnen’s condition, as there
was evidence introduced showing a handwritten letter from White
to Davidson, who sometimes works with the promotion and with
whom Sonnen said he had discussed his condition, dated July 5,
2010, wanting to make sure to get the applicable data regarding
Sonnen as quickly as possible because of his upcoming fight.
Earlier
in the afternoon, Josh Barnett, who had tested positive for steroids
in an attempt to renew his license in the summer of 2009, appeared
before the commission to apply for a new license since more than
a year had passed since his positive test.
Barnett,
who recently signed with Strikeforce after serving out the past
year doing pro wrestling in Japan, ended up having the issue
tabled until the next meeting after the commission wanted evidence
of rehabilitation. When noted probing questions would be asked
of him, and they recommended he have counsel with him, Barnett
agreed to wait until having a lawyer with him.
“I
did not take anabolic steroids,” said Barnett at the hearing,
which led to the commissioners responding that he would be heavily
examined and they would recommend he have a lawyer present.
The
positive test was the third of Barnett’s career, which forced
cancellation of his scheduled fight with Fedor Emelianenko, and
resulted in Affliction scrapping its show and folding its promotion
days later.
Barnett,
who left the hearing shaking his head, had tested positive twice
in Nevada, both in 2001 and 2002, including after beating Randy
Couture to win the UFC heavyweight championship, for which he
was stripped of the title.
“I
was asked to come here, to provide a sample, I do feel slightly
unprepared,” said Barnett, when it became clear his getting
licensed wouldn’t be a rubber-stamp affair. “I didn’t
bring any counsel. I didn’t come here to appeal. I just
came here as an individual.”
“The
burden is on you of clear and convincing evidence,” Anita
Scuri of the commission told Barnett.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Brookins
Outlasts Johnson to Take ‘TUF 12’ Crown
Jonathan
Brookins took a unanimous decision over Michael Johnson, winning
the TUF 12 finale in a bout in which he overcame a slow start.
Winning
on cards of 29-28 (twice) and 29-27, Brookins outwrestled Johnson
in the final two rounds after Johnson’s solid standup gave
him a big lead in a fast-paced first.
Brookins
opened by working for a takedown, and was stymied by a nice piece
of defensive wrestling from his opponent. Johnson then drilled
Brookins with a right, dropping him, and pounded away with a
series of shots, including a pair of big knees in close, and
then throwing a dazed Brookins to the mat.
Johnson
pressed ahead, landing a pair of good punches that connected
flush. With the initiative clearly his, he pressed Brookins against
the cage, bursting with confidence and letting his hands go a
moment later after they broke, landing a punch and a hard low
kick that Brookins caught en route to a failed takedown attempt.
Johnson
had a big first round, but Brookins rallied in the opening moments
of the second, taking Brookins down and popping him a couple
times from half-guard. Brookins seemed to benefit from the tactical
shift, gathering his wits and working steadily, landing short
elbows while trapping Johnson on the mat.
With
the bout clearly up for grabs in the third, Brookins went for
a takedown and got it, spilling Johnson to the floor while pinning
his back to the cage. After a lengthy battle for position, Brookins
obtained near-mount, only to have Johnson reverse him with the
two returning to standing position. Johnson then missed a takedown
and was lateral-dropped by Brookins.
With
just more than two minutes left, Brookins rode it out until the
finish, capping off an impressive performance to win the season’s
lightweight competition.
Bonnar
Rolls Over Pokrajac
Stephan
Bonnar scored a unanimous decision with all judges tabbing it
29-26, as he dominated Igor Pokrajac in a light heavyweight tilt.
Bonnar
scored a takedown forty seconds into the bout, after opening
aggressively and pushing forward. Working from top, Bonnar was
unable to strike or force a submission attempt, with the two
returning to the feet after a brief sequence of grappling. Moments
later, Bonnar sunk a guillotine attempt that Pokrajac escaped,
with some apparent trouble as it seemed close.
Then,
from top again, Bonnar worked in steady if unspectacular fashion,
with Pokrajac turtled and Bonnar working occasional strikes and
tying up his wrists.
In
the second, Bonnar pinned Igor against the fence and delivered
some good knees, with Pokrajac reversing the position. Bonnar
then scored a nice takedown from the clinch, landing in side
control, and driving home some compact elbows to Pokrajac’s
head.
Pokrajac
got to his feet and mounted a brief rally, only to find himself
planted against the cage again. After the second, Pokrajac was
deducted a point for using illegal knees to the head from the
bottom position.
Bonnar
closed the show in the third round. After eating a kick from
a floored Pokrajac to the face (which got Pokrajac another warning),
dictating top position and striking in spots, while consistently
winning scrambles when Pokrajac made occasional bursts to escape.
To his credit, Pokrajac never gave up despite taking a steady
thumping.
At
the end of the bout, while striking from side control, Bonnar
got a point deducted for blows to the back of the head, as Pokrajac
turned into him, opening up a gray area which prompted the deduction.
Maia
cruised by Grove.
Maia Controls Grove for Easy Win
In
a textbook display of grappling prowess, jiu-jitsu ace Demian
Maia decisioned Kendall Grove in a middleweight contest.
Grove
found himself constantly on the defensive as Maia scored single-leg
takedowns and dictated the action from top position, using timely
ground-and-pound to soften his opponent.
At
times, the six-foot-six-inch Grove was able to use his size to
get out of bad spots, but Maia simply kept up the pressure, and
scored while taking little damage.
The
judges scored the bout unanimously for Maia, 29-28 on all cards.
Story
Hands Hendricks First Defeat
Rick
Story took a unanimous decision over Johny Hendricks in a lackluster
bout where both men seemingly canceled out each other’s
attack. The defeat was the first of Hendricks’ career.
All
three judges scored the bout 29-28 for Story.
The
two largely negated one another with little substantive action
for the duration of the bout.
Garcia
Scores Split Decision Over Phan
In
the first main-card featherweight bout in UFC history, Leonard
Garcia took a split decision in a close bout against Nam Phan.
Two
judges scored the bout 29-28 for Garcia, with the third tabbing
it 30-27 for Phan.
Garcia
opened up strong in the first round, using his aggressive style
and looping hooks to take the stanza. Pham covered and evaded
or blocked many of them, but Garcia clearly landed more effectively
and seemed to be finding his groove.
In
the second, it was more of the same for the opening moments,
with Garcia letting strikes go until Phan pounced, landing a
series of solid punches -- including several pinpoint rights
-- to drop Garcia. Unleashing ground-and-pound that was effective,
Phan then took Garcia’s back and attempted to work for a
rear-naked choke that he was unable to seriously threaten with,
but the shift in momentum clearly won him the round.
Garcia
continued to push the effort in the third period, however, mixing
in occasional body shots and eating blows from Phan while outstriking
him two-to-one.
Sherdog.com will report from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
at approximately 6:45 p.m. ET with play-by-play and live results
of "The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale", which is headlined
by Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac.
Dave
Branch vs. Rich Attonito
Round 1
Josh Rosenthal is the referee for the evening's opening contest.
Both fighters come out with an orthodox stance. Branch shoots
in for a single leg, but he's stuffed coming in. Branch decides
to then press Attonito into the cage. They separate after 40
seconds. Branch is cautious and avoids Attonito's wild punches.
Attonito misses a loopy right hand and is taken down. Branch
lands in Attonito's half guard. After a scramble, Branch is push
kicked off but he quickly dives back in and scores a takedown
as his foe tries to stand. Branch quickly mounts him but a scramble
allows Attonito to stand up. Branch drags him down again. Branch
tries an inverted triangle but Attonito escapes at the horn.
10-9 Branch.
Round
2
Attonito misses a wild right hand after he blocks a head kick.
They clinch. Branch presses his opponent into the cage. Very
little action 90 seconds in. Attonito delivers a sturdy knee
to the gut. Branch is not letting him breathe. Attonito falls
down but quickly springs back up. They scramble but Branch is
all over him. Very dull second round. Branch expolodes for a
slam but he's stuffed and is crucifixed. They scramble again
and Branch seizes side control. Branch land a few meager punches.
Attonito pulls to half guard but can't escape or sweep. 10-9
Branch.
Round
3
Branch quickly scores a textbook double leg takedown but Attonito
scrambles back to his feet. Branch presses Attonito into the
cage. He keeps him there for 20 seconds and then drags him down.
Attonito pulls guard. The sparse crowd is growing restless. Branch
delivers three decent right elbows. Branch moves to half guard.
Very little action. They scramble and Branch takes his back.
Both hooks are in. Attonito rolls over and turtles up. Branch
can't sink the rear-naked choke just yet. Attonito stands up
and shakes Branch off. He misses a wild right hand and Branch
quickly presses him into the cage until the end. 10-9 Branch.
Official
scores: 30-27s across the board for Branch, the winner by unanimous
decision.
Fredson
Paixao vs. Pablo Garza
Round 1
Paixao eats a left jab right away. Hard right low kick scores
for Paixao. Garza's length and lanky body is causing Paixao problems.
Huge flying knee from Garza. Paixao is out. He's flat on his
back and is completely out cold. His arms are stiffened in the
"shoot in" position. Garza hit him with the knee right
as Paixao ducked under for a double leg. He is still out on his
back some 45 seconds later. He is finally moving his legs roughly
two minutes after the blow to the face. He's still down. Medical
staff has him surrounded and he is still on his back almost four
minutes after the KO. Finally he is able to sit up. They put
a neck brace on him to be extra safe. Garza is thrilled for the
win, but it's clear he is very concerned for Paixao. Finally
he is up on his feet and is being escorted out. He is very wobbly
and has to be carried off the steps and now he's sitting on a
stretcher. The official time is just 0:51 of round one.
Nick
Pace vs. Will Campuzano
Round 1
The referee for this contest is Chris Togoni. Campuzano blocks
a quick knee by Pace and takes a left shin to the ribs. They
trade blows. Pave shoots in his he's stuffed. They clinch against
the cage and Pace drags him down. Pace lands five straight left
hands. Campuzano can't get back to his feet. Finally he does.
Pace forces him down again courtesy of a trip and shove. Pace
scores the mount but Campuzano is very calm. They scramble and
Will is back up. Pace quickly drags him back down. Pace takes
his back, but he's reversed. Campuzano is sitting on Pace's stomach
with his back to him. Nothing is doing so he scrambles up. Pace
slams him back down at the horn. 10-9 Pace.
Round
2
Pace throws a head kick. They both swing wildly and miss. Low
kick by Pace. Campuzano is fighting from a safer distance and
is using his reach advantage well. Nice front kick by Campuzano
followed by a right hand. Campuzano tries a takedown, but he's
stuffed. Finally, after almost a minute of clinching, Pace drags
him down. Campuzano wall walks back up to his feet. Pace struggles
but finally drags his foe down again. Not much action at this
point. Pace is all over him, not letting him move. Campuzano
finally stands and then slams Pace down at the end of the frame.
10-9 Pace.
Round
3
Pace extends his left arm to touch gloves, but Campuzano punches
him instead. The punch glances him and they trade blows. Will
fires several loopy, winging right hands and misses them all.
Pace bides his time and scores a textbook double leg. After a
scramble Campuzano sweeps him and lands in Pace's guard. Campuzano
lands two elbows. Campuzano stands up and dives back in with
a hard left hammer fist. He does it again, but lands in an awkward
triangle. Pace has only one leg over his head and his arms underneath.
He locks on a unique arm/leg triangle and forces the tap. Official
time is 4:33.
Pace
reveals that he just made that choke up. It's a cross between
a triangle and guillotine or a gogoplata with the leg over the
head and arm underneath. He just named it "The Pace."
Kyle
Watson vs. Sako Chivitchyan
Round 1
Sako rushes out and is very assertive. Watson feels him out and
backs away. They clinch and Sako presses him into the cage. Watson
reverses position, and then is reversed himself. They trade knees.
They separate. The fire and miss punches and Sako clinches again.
Watson takes him down, but Sako quickly stands up. Watson slams
him down again but Sako springs right up. The trade punches.
Watson fires a flurry and it leads to a quick takedown. Sako
stands again. They trade punches against the cage again. 10-9
Watson.
Round
2
They rush right out and fire away, though nothing lands for either.
They clinch. Sako lands a nice left hand as they separate. Watson
is moving from side to side and giving Sako problems. They clinch
again. Sako presses Watson into the cage. They separate. A hard
right hand by Watson lands as Sako comes in. Sako lands a decent
right cross on the inside. Sako is hit in the groin by an errant
knee, and is given time to recover. He's good to go. They resume
and Sako absorbs a thudding shin to the ribs. They trade blows
but again they clinch. Sako presses Watson into the fence. Watson
lands two meager knees just before the horn. 10-9 Watson.
Round
3
Sako lands a stiff left-right-left immediately, but Watson takes
it. Watson fires a head kick and it glances off Sako's dome.
Both men are doing a lot of feinting, leaving for a dull two
minutes. Watson scores a takedown, but Sako springs back up.
Stiff left straight by Watson. Watson forces Sako into the fence.
Very little action. It's a close fight but Sako might need a
KO to win. Watson digs a kick to Sako's ribs. Another. Right
hand by Watson just before the horn. 10-9 Watson.
Official
scores: 30-27 (twice) and 29-28 for Watson, the winner by unanimous
decision.
Ian
Loveland vs. Tyler Toner
Round 1
Hard right low kick by Toner. Loveland cracks him with a hard
right hand and Toner drops. Loveland pounces and lands another
right hand and tees off. Toner covers up well and blocks most
of the shots. Loveland smartly slows down the attrition as not
to waste energy. Toner is on his back and pinned against the
cage. Toner pulls guard. Very little action now. Toner's defense
is strong as Loveland isn't landing anything or able to pass
the guard. Three minutes have passed with very little action.
Toner tries an armbar but can't sink it. Loveland lands two decent
punches before the horn. 10-9 Loveland.
Round
2
Toner misses a high kick. Loveland misses a spinning-back fist,
but does connect with two ensuing right hands. Hard low kick
by Toner. Loveland lands a right hand, which bloodies Toner's
nose. Nice right uppercut on the inside by Loveland. Not much
action on the feet and the crowd is getting restless. Hard back
fist by Loveland rocks Toner and he stumbles to the canvas. Loveland
dives onto him and unloads a fury. Toner recovers well and defends
wisely. Toner almost locks up a triangle but Loveland escapes.
Loveland stands over Toner and lands some moderate punches. 10-9
Loveland.
Round
3
Both fighting at a measured pace early on. Toner lands a grazing
head kick. Loveland backing up, looking to land one massive counter
to end it. Hard low kick by Toner. Very little action. Toner
pressing the issue but Loveland isn't doing anything. A minute
left and almost nothing of note has landed. Very passive round.
Decent counter right hand by Loveland. Low kick by Toner. Neither
man wanted the win in the final round. 10-9 Toner.
Official
scores: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-26 for Loveland, winner by unanimous
decision.
Aaron
Wilkinson vs. Cody McKenzie
Round 1
McKenzie rushes right across the cage and tries a takedown but
falls into a guillotine. He escapes and scrambles up. McKenzie
quickly latches on a standing guillotine. Wilkinson remains calm
and fends it off. They scramble again and McKenzie takes him
down. McKenzie latches on the guillotine from on top. He rolls
him over and sinks it. Wilkinson taps out. Official time is 2:03
of the first round.
Leonard
Garcia vs. Nam Phan
Round 1
Herb Dean referees the first televised fight of the show, which
is also the first televised UFC featherweight bout. Both men
swinging away early and Phan lands a solid right upside the head
of Garcia, who’s swinging and missing with big, looping
shots. Thudding body kick by Phan is answered in kind by Garcia.
Phan connects with a nice three-piece combo. The fighters trade
body shots and Garcia tries a spinning back-fist that’s
blocked. Left jab is working for Phan now, as Garcia continues
to throw wild hooks and uppercuts which mostly miss or connect
with Phan’s arms. Phan lands a head kick, but Garcia keeps
moving forward, shaking his head. 10-9 Phan.
Round
2
Garcia comes out firing, connecting with a nice body shot and
throwing multiple head kicks. Garcia pressing the action with
punches and leg kicks until a nice hook from Phan slows him down
a bit. Ninety seconds into the round, Garcia shoots and rushes
Phan into the fence with a double-leg, but Phan escapes quickly.
Phan ducks a punch from Garcia and rocks him with an uppercut,
then begins to tee off. Phan lands four or five hard shots before
Garcia finally hits the mat. Phan gives chase, taking Garcia’s
back and sinking in both hooks as Garcia rolls away from the
base of the cage. Riding high on Garcia’s back, Phan rolls
his opponent onto his side and tries to sink in the rear-naked
choke. Good wrist control from Garcia, but Phan gets an arm under
and looks to have the choke. Garcia appears to quickly double-tap,
then pries Phan’s arm loose. The bout continues and Phan
finishes on top with a few short punches. 10-9 Phan.
Round
3
Phan is cut early on in the final round, bleeding from the right
side of his face. The cut appears to be on the brow or up along
the hairline. Garcia tries a takedown, can’t hold Phan down,
and Phan comes up swinging and digging some of his trademark
body blows. Garcia was connecting better in the second round
than the first, but now he’s back to swinging wild. Jab
from Phan snaps back the head of Garcia. Tired-looking kick from
Garcia is timed by Phan, who punishes him with a stiff jab. Garcia
is clearly exhausted, hands by his side, but still throwing.
Uppercut to the body from Phan, then one to the head. Garcia
pushes Phan into the fence and again can’t hold him there
for long. Garcia hears the 10 second clapper and windmills one
more time. 10-9 Phan.
Official
scores: 29-28 Garcia, 30-27 Phan and 29-28 for Leonard Garcia,
winner by split decision.
Johny
Hendricks vs. Rick Story
Round 1
Steve Mazzagatti in charge of this welterweight contest. Story
lands a right hand early, then Hendricks lunges with a left straight
that lands flush. They clinch and Story throws a flurry of punches
to the body of Hendricks. Story with a hard combination as Hendricks
covers up. Story doubles over, hunting for a takedown, but can’t
get it. The fighters work over-unders and clinch briefly before
disengaging. More body blows from Story, followed by a nice three-piece
that sends Hendricks wheeling away. Hendricks trying to keep
his distance and use movement to keep Story at bay, but Story’s
aggression is winning out so far in a close round. Hendricks
catches a kick and drags Story down, but Story works back to
his feet and Hendricks ends the round with a waistlock against
the fence. 10-9 Story.
Round
2
Hendricks throws a glancing combo which causes Story to rush
forward with a barrage of his own. Takedown from Story and Hendricks
briefly grabs a guillotine, which he lets go in order to wall-walk
and stand back up. Hendricks tries for a takedown of his own
and winds up on the floor with Story high on his back. Story
slips off and Hendricks tries a front guillotine which doesn’t
take. They’re back to clinching against the fence with Story
getting the better of the clinch work, kneeing and punching to
the left side of Hendricks’ rib cage. Story plows Hendricks
to the mat with a double-leg, but Hendricks uses butterfly guard
to work back to his feet. Story still has the waistlock and is
kneeing to Hendricks’ left leg and midsection. 10-9 Story.
Round
3
Early takedown attempt from Hendricks is briefly defended, but
he wrestles Story down and then grabs a guillotine. Story gets
to his feet and turns the tables, snaring a guillotine of his
own. Hendricks rolls to guard and pushes himself free, but Story
stays on top as Hendricks turtles. Hendricks drives forward,
pushing Story into the fence as Story controls his man’s
right arm. No offense coming from either man in the third minute
of the round, with Story sitting against the cage and Hendricks
just latching on to Story’s legs, trying to improve position.
Story is breathing heavily as Hendricks pins him to the fence,
and finishes the round with a couple short elbows to Hendricks’
body. 10-10.
Official
scores: All three judges see it 29-28 for Rick Story, the winner
by unanimous decision.
Demian
Maia vs. Kendall Grove
Round 1
The referee for this middleweight bout is Josh Rosenthal. Maia
lands an overhand left and Grove responds by chasing him down
with a combo which includes a nice right straight. Maia grabs
the right leg of Grove and drags him down, then leaps to pass
guard, but Grove doesn’t stay down for long. Maia is tenacious,
though, and takes Grove’s back on the feet as Grove turns
into the fence. Maia briefly leaps onto Grove’s back, but
Grove defends, so the Brazilian instead spins Grove down to the
mat again. Maia in Grove’s half-guard, trying to pass as
he elbows to the “TUF” winner’s body. Maia mounts
and Grove rolls, giving up his back with just under two minutes
left. Grove escapes the dangerous position by rolling and shucking
Maia off, but Maia stays right on him, keeping busy with hard
shots from the top. Grove rolls and gives up his back again,
allowing Maia to look for a rear-naked choke with a single hook
in. Grove defends the choke well and survives the scare, but
it’s clearly Maia’s round. 10-9 Maia.
Round
2
Tentative jabbing early in the round before Maia shoots for a
single-leg and Grove easily steps away from it. The second attempt
from Maia is successful, and the BJJ black belt now works from
half-guard, thumping away to the ribs and head of Grove. A leglock
attempt from Grove is unsuccessful, but allows him to get back
to his feet, where Maia immediately gets to working for another
takedown. Maia gets it, but this time stalls out in Grove’s
guard, unable to pass. Grove creates space and keeps the now-standing
Maia away with upkicks, but Maia dives through the guard. Grove
rolls and gives up his back, and Maia spends the final minute
of the round on Grove’s back, punching away. 10-9 Maia.
Round
3
Grove pops Maia with a few nice jabs, then chases him down with
a solid combo. Lots of circling through the first half of the
frame, with neither man looking particularly desperate to finish,
though Grove probably should be. Grove lands a few short shots
to the face of Maia, who answers with one to Grove’s breadbasket.
With 90 seconds left, Maia latches on to Grove’s left leg.
Grove answers with a jumping knee, but Maia clings on. Nice defense
from Grove, who stays vertical and rains shots to the face and
body of the doubled-over Maia. That’s where the fight ends.
10-9 Grove.
Official
scores: Three scores of 29-28 from the judges, who unanimously
award the bout to Demian Maia.
Stephan
Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac
Round 1
Steve Mazzagatti returns to referee the light heavyweight semi-main
event. Pokrajac blitzes Bonnar with punches early, but Bonnar
stifles the activity by pushing the Croatian into the fence.
Easy takedown by Bonnar, who quickly moves to side control and
then takes Pokrajac’s back. Bonnar tries to roll Pokrajac
and botches it, allowing Pokrajac to stand back up and muscles
Bonnar into the fence. Pokrajac lands an elbow as they separate,
then slugs a few hard shots to Bonnar’s face. Bonnar snares
a guillotine and jumps guard, and the submission looks deep.
Pokrajac flips onto his back and Bonnar tries to adjust the choke,
but Pokrajac breaks loose. Bonnar in Pokrajac’s guard briefly
before advancing to half-guard, then side control. Pokrajac turtles
and Bonnar keeps head-and-arm control, kneeing to the body and
landing short punches as he tries to secure the back. They work
back to their feet just before the round ends and Bonnar slaps
Pokrajac with a head kick. 10-9 Bonnar.
Round
2
Even clinch work early in the round before Bonnar takes the driver’s
seat by grabbing the Thai plum and drilling several knees to
Pokrajac’s midsection. Pokrajac doesn’t like this and
reverses, pushing Bonnar’s back to the fence. Bonnar reaps
the leg of Pokrajac and sends him tumbling to the mat, where
Bonnar leaps to side control on Pokrajac’s right. Horizontal
elbows and short punches from Bonnar as he lies across Pokrajac’s
chest. Pokrajac slips free and they resume trading on the feet.
More solid knees by Bonnar in the clinch, but the action slows
as the pair jockeys for position along the perimeter. Suddenly,
they split and both men begin winging punches. Pokrajac tags
Bonnar with a good one in the flurry, but Bonnar stands strong
and muscles Pokrajac into the fence again before the round ends.
10-9 Bonnar. After the round ends, Mazzagatti deducts a point
from Pokrajac for illegal knees landed to the head of Bonnar
while the fighters were on the ground, making it a 10-8 round
on our scorecard.
Round
3
Bonnar scores a takedown early and begins punishing Pokrajac
from side control. Bonnar works to mount and begins punching
furiously to the body of Pokrajac. The Croatian turtles and gives
up his back, but Bonnar squanders the position as he’s unable
to sink in the hooks. Pokrajac winds up in Bonnar’s guard
for a second, then tries an armbar, allowing Bonnar to reclaim
top position. Bonnar working from half-guard in the final minute,
trying to pass to Pokrajac’s left and sink in an arm-triangle.
Bonnar passes, but gives up the head-and-arm control, instead
opting to punch and elbow his opponent. Just before the bell,
Mazzagatti steps in and deducts a point from Bonnar for landing
two or three punches to the back of Pokrajac’s head. Bonnar
took the round once again, but after the point deduction, it’s
an even 9-9.
Official
scores: All three judges score the bout 29-26 in favor of Stephan
Bonnar, the winner by unanimous decision.
Michael
Johnson vs. Jonathan Brookins
Round 1
Referee Herb Dean is in charge of the “TUF 12” final.
Johnson lands a nice one-two off the bat, followed by an overhand
left. Brookins grabs a high single on Johnson’s left leg
and Johnson hops back into the fence. Still digging for the takedown,
Brookins gets flipped around and Johnson backs away. Johnson
drops Brookins to his knees with a stiff left hand and Johnson
gives chase. Johnson can’t finish, but he doesn’t relent
his attack as Brookins attempts to escape on the feet. More punches
from Johnson and Brookins takes a knee. Johnson tries a guillotine
and can’t find it, but it’s not a problem, as he just
goes back to lighting Brookins up on the feet. Despite eating
any number of punches, Brookins’ hands are still very low.
He nearly takes Johnson’s back in a scramble, but Johnson
slides free and finishes the round by tagging Brookins with another
pair of hard punches and stuffing a shot. 10-9 Johnson.
Round
2
Nice right hand lands for Johnson, but it’s Brookins who
finds himself on top in the ensuing scramble. Brookins lands
a few hard shots on top and then woks on passing Johnson’s
half-guard. Not much offense coming from Brookins on top, but
when he throws a punch or elbow, it lands hard. Now more short
elbows from Brookins, who still can’t extract his left leg
from between Johnson’s. Two minutes to go and Johnson is
covering up as Brookins lands more elbows. Johnson tries to create
space and get back to his feet, can’t find the distance,
but does stuff Brookins back to full guard. Shortly thereafter,
Johnson pops back to his feet. Brookins immediately begins working
for another takedown, doubling over and pushing Johnson into
the fence as Johnson elbows the side of Brookins’ head.
Brookins slams Johnson down with about a minute left and tries
for a kimura from half-guard. The round ends with Brookins still
working for the submission. 10-9 Brookins.
Round
3
Johnson scores with a combination, prompting Brookins to go back
to his single-leg attack. He puts Johnson on his rear at the
base of the cage, but can’t pull Johnson away from the fence
to put him on his back. Brookins takes mount with Johnson still
sitting up and flattens him from there, but Johnson uses the
position to sweep. Back on the feet, Johnson scores with another
nice series of punches. Brookins pulls guard with a lateral drop
before immediately sweeping into Johnson’s half-guard. Brookins
keeping busy on top with one minute remaining in the bout. He
postures up and Johnson tries to reverse the situation with a
single-leg, but Brookins finishes the round on top and may have
just eked out the win after a rough start. 10-9 Brookins.
Official
scores: The judges have it 29-28 (twice) and 29-27, all in favor
of Jonathan Brookins, the winner of the twelfth season of “The
Ultimate Fighter.”
Source: Sherdog
|
TUF
12 Finale Results: Garcia Defeats Phan In Highly Controversial
Split Decision
The
first televised featherweight fight in UFC history lived up to
the billing as Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia went to war for three
rounds, but in the end the judges may have put yet another black
mark on an otherwise stellar fight.
Phan
dropped back down to his natural weight of 145lbs since being
eliminated on the final episode of the “Ultimate Fighter”
season 12, and didn’t disappoint in his official Octagon
debut, but somehow the judges scored the fight in a split decision
nod for his opponent Leonard Garcia.
Showing
tremendous discipline against a highly unorthodox opponent, Phan
used controlled punches to the body and a mix of straight punches
to keep Garcia guessing for all 15 minutes. Garcia came out like
a hurricane in each round, but faded as the minutes passed, just
losing steam with the haymakers he unloaded trying to put Phan
away.
In
the 2nd round, Phan dropped Garcia with wicked series of lefts
and rights, before almost locking on a fight ending rear naked
choke. By the end of the fight, Garcia’s midsection was
absolutely tattooed from body shots absorbed by Phan’s attack.
It
seemed like a no brainer for the decision, but much like Tyson
Griffin and Evan Dunham can tell Phan after the fight, when the
judges get involved anything can and likely will happen. Two
judges saw the fight 29-28 for Garcia, while a lone judge scored
the fight 30-27 for Phan.
A
stunned look washed over Phan as he saw his UFC debut come to
a screeching hault.
“I
was thinking Asian brother can’t get no love,” Phan
said describing his emotions at the time the judges’ decision
was read. “Nothing to take away from Leonard, but I thought
I won all three rounds.”
He
may have won the fight, but even Leonard Garcia agreed with the
boisterous crowd in attendance in Las Vegas as they booed loudly
at the highly controversial decision.
“I’m
sorry, I called it the same thing,” Garcia shouted to the
crowd. “I’ll rematch Nam again and let you guys decide
next time.”
The
judges once again proved that MMA has a long way to go before
scoring can be legitimized, with several decisions ending in
extremely controversial fashion over just the last few major
events. Garcia will still celebrate a win, but Phan deservedly
should get another shot at the New Mexico based fighter at some
point down the road.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
12 Finale Results: Rick Story Rides Decision to Five-Fight Streak
Rick
Story and Johny Hendricks took their fight at “The Ultimate
Fighter Season 12” finale to a decision, but it ended up
being nowhere near as controversial as the Leonard Garcia split
decision victory over Nam Phan earlier in the night.
While
neither fighter clearly established domination in the bout, Story
did appear to have the edge.
From
the opening round, Hendricks scrambled for takedowns, but Story
fought the majority of them off, and opened up with his patented
punch combinations to the wrestler’s body.
Hendricks
came close to taking control with his grappling late in round
two, but Story managed to turn the tables and do some damage
to Hendricks’ legs with driving knees and punches.
The
pace slowed as the fight wore on, Hendricks continuing to shoot
the takedown. What he did land was after extended periods of
effort, and Story would quickly gain his feet after he was taken
down.
When
all was said and done, it was Story that was pushing the pace
through the majority of the bout, constantly going back to working
Hendricks’ body with punch combinations and slipping in
the occasional knee.
“I’m
sure it was the attacks to the body,” Story told UFC broadcaster
Joe Rogan when asked about earning the decision.
Story
is now on a five-fight winning streak, while handing Hendricks
the first loss of his professional career.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
12 Finale Results: Demian Maia Wins Second Consecutive Bout
Demain
Maia started his professional career on an 11-fight winning streak.
He has since gone down a bumpy road, alternating wins and losses
in his last four bouts… that is, prior to Saturday night.
At
“The Ultimate Fighter Season 12” finale, Maia made
it two-straight wins, taking Hawaiin Kendall Grove the distance
in earning a unanimous decision victory.
Known
as one of the premier submission specialists in mixed martial
arts, Maia, since losing to Nate Marquardt at UFC 102, has grown
by leaps and bounds in the striking department. He wasn’t
able to be as effective on his feet as he would have likes at
the TUF 12 finale, however.
Giving
up six inches in height to Grove, Maia tested the striking waters
early, but soon realized that Grove’s reach advantage and
striking prowess wasn’t an area that he wanted to stay in
for long. He shifted gears and spent the majority of rest of
the fight taking Grove down and alternating between ground and
pound attacks and submission attempts.
Maia
wasn’t able to put Grove away, but he did easily control
the majority of the bout, earning 29-28 scores across the board.
The
win was his second consecutive since failing in his attempt to
wrest the belt from the waist of current UFC middleweight champion
Anderson Silva at UFC 112 in April.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Coach:
Anderson is the favorite against Vitor
One
of the most experienced Muay Thai coaches of MMA, the French
Daniel Woirin is the currently responsible for the preparation
of Dan Henderson, who will face Renato Babalu next Saturday,
but he keeps his eyes on the title fight of the middleweight
division of UFC, between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. Having
trained both fighters, Woirin commented the bout. “I trained
them both and I can’t wait for this fight to happen. It’ll
be a great fight, with two MMA stars on it. The favorite, in
my opinion, is Anderson, but everything can happen when it comes
to Vitor”, bets Daniel, who commented the heroic victory
of Anderson over Chael Sonnen, on UFC 117. “Anderson came
changed for that fight, with no timing and distance timing, but
he proved that even on a desperate situation he can shine, and
that what makes a truth champion”, compliments.
Source: Tatame
|
GRACIEMAG
elections: who are 2010?s standouts?
A
certain world champion sinks an armbar. To not influence your
vote, we kept it a mystery. Photo: Ray Santana.
High
Jiu-Jitsu season 2010 comes to a close with the gentle art at
the highest of levels, numerous aces having established themselves
at the top of the heap.
Never
before in the history of the sport have there been so many absolute
champions, from so many different teams.
Excited
about the promising year coming to a close, the GRACIEMAG.com
team calls on readers, fans, teachers and their students always
tuned in to the best of what goes on in the sport around the
world to vote on the greatest champions of 2010.
Commentary
is welcome, of course, but only complete votes will be calculated,
or in other words, only suggestions for the winners of the seven
categories will be taken into account. They are:
1)
Best Jiu-Jitsu competitor of 2010
2)
Jiu-Jitsu’s revelation of the year
3)
Female standout of the season
4)
Best MMA fighter
5)
Best match
6)
Most consistent athlete
7)
Best non-black belt competitor
The
results will be posted following the last UFC of the year –
in December – for you to be able to let your vote perculate.
To
remind you of how the year went, we put together a list of absolute
division winners at the season’s big championships. Championships
with light and heavy absolute divisions didn’t make the
list.
Worlds:
Roger Gracie (Gracie Barra)
No-Gi
Worlds: Roberto Cyborg (The Avengers)
Miami
Open: Roberto Cyborg (The Avengers)
Honolulu
Open: Roberto Cyborg (The Avengers)
Pan:
Bernardo Faria (Alliance)
Brazilian
Nationals: Bernardo Faria (Alliance)
European
Open: Guto Campos (Atos Ghetto)
South
American: Augusto Tanquinho (Soul Fighters)
Asian
Open: Marcos Souza (Bonsai)
No-Gi
Pan: Pablo Popovitch (The Avengers)
Abu
Dhabi World Pro: Claudio Calasans (Atos)
US
Open: Marcel Fortuna (Ralph Gracie)
Brasileiro
Sem Kimono: Victor Costa (CheckMat)
Rio
Open: Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam)
New
York Open: Jonathan Torres (Lloyd Irvin)
Houston
Open: Bruno Bastos (Nova União)
Las
Vegas Open: Caio Terra (Cesar Gracie)
American
Nationals: Caio Terra (Cesar Gracie)
American
No-Gi Nationals: Gregor Gracie (Renzo Gracie)
Chicago
Open: Rodrigo Comprido (Brasa)
International
Masters: Rodrigo Munduruca (Gracie Humaitá)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Strikeforce
Results & Live Play-by-Play
Saturday,
December 04, 2010
Scottrade Center in St. Louis
Josh
Epps vs. J.W. Wright
Round 1
Wright charges and secures the takedown. Epps works an arm triangle
from the bottom, but Wright breaks his grip. Wright postures
up and drops some blows, passing to half guard. Wright stands
and pulls guard, locking up a guillotine. Epps struggles to escape,
but cannot pop his head out, tapping at 1:29 of round one.
Booker
DeRousse vs. Coltin Cole
Round 1
The fighters touch gloves to start. DeRousse jabs and clinches,
securing a body lock against the cage. DeRousse is landing damaging
knees to the body and legs with his opponent pinned to the fence.
Cole attempts a throw, but DeRousse bases out and regains his
position. Cole turns the tables, pinning DeRousse against the
chain link. Cole lands an elbow on the break, and he’s warned
for it by the referee. Cole lands a big shot standing that drops
DeRousse and pounces, delivering heavy ground and pound through
DeRousse’s guard. He slams Derousse, but Cole is then swept.
He climbs back on top, but he’s caught in a triangle. After
an uncertain moment, Cole shakes the choke off and passes to
side control. DeRousse gives up his back, and Cole is content
to ride him without digging his hooks in. DeRousse stands, but
he’s immediately thrown with a beautiful German suplex by
Cole. DeRousse regains his feet and hits an ankle pick to end
the round. 10-9 Cole.
Round
2
DeRousse lands a body kick to start and clinches. Cole drops
and rolls for a kneebar, but DeRousse makes him pay for it, passing
to side control and landing ground and pound. Cole recovers half
guard, and it looks like he’s going for a kimura. DeRousse
passes to mount and has a keylock. Cole grimaces in pain but
won’t submit. DeRousse gives it up, but maintains top position.
From side control, he again passes to mount, dropping punches
on Cole’s exposed face. The ref is taking a hard look at
it and finally steps in, saving Cole from further punishment
at 3:04 of round two.
Lee
Brousseau vs. Mike Glenn
Round 1
Brousseau presses early, throwing heavy punches and catching
Glenn with a savage counter right hook. Glenn dives for a single,
and Brousseau is wailing away with punches to his head and body.
Glenn is game, though, and won’t quit. Brousseau grabs Glenn’s
exposed neck and falls back for a guillotine. Glenn doesn’t
allow him to lock up his guard, however, and passes to side control
and then mount. Now Glenn is in control, and Brousseau is in
trouble, getting hit with everything but the kitchen sink. What
a comeback. Big John McCarthy steps in and stops it, awarding
Glenn the victory at 2:00 of round one.
Thomas
Aaron vs. Matt Ricehouse
Round 1
Both men are cautious to start. Aaron lands a nice leg kick.
Ricehouse is moving laterally. Both guys are gauging the distance.
Aaron catches a kick and elevates Ricehouse for the slam. He
lands in half guard with a far-side overhook. Aaron stands up
before Ricehouse can pull guard. Back on the feet, Ricehouse
catches a low kick and counters with a beautiful straight right.
Aaron is working for a triangle, but Ricehouse passes his guard.
They both stand, and Ricehouse lands a knee as they reach their
feet. Aaron fires back with a knee of his own. Aaron executes
a nice throw and nearly secures Ricehouse’s back. Ricehouse
is able to recover guard, however, landing a heel kick to Aaron’s
chest. Aaron stands up and they clinch. Aaron takes a deep breath.
Ricehouse whiffs on a high kick as the round ends. 10-10.
Round
2
They touch gloves to start round two. Ricehouse misses with a
big right hand. Aaron lands a low kick, but it’s countered
by a Ricehouse right straight. Aaron throws a body kick that
lands as Ricehouse drops his head, but the leaner fighter grabs
the leg, putting Aaron on his back again. Ricehouse briefly passes
to side control, but Aaron recovers half guard and eventually
escapes to his feet. Locked in the clinch again, both men land
knees and short punches to the ribs. Ricehouse secures a body
lock, but Aaron’s takedown defense is stout. Another knee
from Ricehouse right up the gut. McCarthy separates the pair.
Ricehouse charges forward, clinching and picking Aaron up. After
the ensuing slam, Ricehouse immediately passes to half guard.
Aaron clings to a guillotine in vain. 10-9 Ricehouse.
Round
3
Ricehouse throws a superman punch to start the third, again clinching
against the cage. He’s looking for a standing guillotine,
but Aaron takes him down for his efforts. Ricehouse is defending
well, regaining a base on his knees and now cradling Aaron’s
far side appendages. Ricehouse turns it into a switch and steps
over into mount. Aaron escapes immediately, but Ricehouse is
now obviously the fresher fighter on the feet. He lands a short
elbow in the clinch before hitting a beautiful inside leg trip.
Aaron closes his guard, and Ricehouse tries to posture and throw
down. Now Aaron is moving his legs up, perhaps looking for an
armbar, but it’s not happening. Aaron’s left eye is
slightly swollen. Ricehouse stacks him against the cage and passes
to scarf control as the fight comes to a close. 10-9 Ricehouse.
Ricehouse
takes the unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 (twice) and
30-27.
Lucas
Lopes vs. Cortez Coleman
Round 1
Bad blood at the weigh-ins between these two. Lopes buries his
head for a takedown, but Coleman stuffs it. Coleman is throwing
everything with bad intentions. Lopes lands two chopping leg
kicks. They clinch again, and Coleman is landing serious uppercuts
and hooks from the single collar. Both men take a breath. Lopes
tries a single, but Coleman reverses it, landing in a front headlock.
Now he falls back for an arm-in guillotine, and after a brief
struggle Lopes taps out at 2:04 of the first round.
Patrick
Cummins vs. Terrell Brown
Round 1
Cummins immediately clinches, but Brown shucks him off. Again,
Cummins clinches and lands a knee. Pat snaps out a sweet jab,
followed by another one. Now Cummins lands a one-two, but Brown
fires back. Cummins changes levels and hits the takedown, immediately
passing to side mount. He’s looking for a keylock, but the
cage is preventing Cummins from cranking it all the way. Cummins
is now dropping really heavy shots from top position. Brown is
in big trouble. This is getting out of hand. Finally, the referee
steps in, saving Brown at 2:44 of the first.
Max
Martyniouk vs. Justin Lawrence
Round 1
The fighters touch gloves. Both men are hesitant to start, gauging
the distance. Lawrence lands a hard leg kick. Martynuk rushes
in and is taken down immediately. Lawrence lands in half guard,
and he’s taking short punches to his left side. A red spot
is forming on his ribcage, but Lawrence isn’t bothered.
The hometown favorite is taking his time and controlling Martynuk.
He passes to mount and is aggressively looking for an arm triangle.
The crowd roars. Martynuk won’t give up, instead throwing
short punches to Lawrence’s side. Finally, Lawrence lets
it go. Lawrence is still controlling in side control, but Martynuk
is game. Lawrence thinks about a near-side armbar, but quickly
abandons the notion for some hammer fists. The crowd is calling
for knees to the body, and Lawrence obliges them with one. More
hammer fists from Lawrence. 10-9 Lawrence.
Round
2
Martynuk takes the center of the cage to start the second. Lawrence
dances on the outside, gauging distance. He opens up with a left
hook that misses, then tries a lead-leg side kick. Lawrence lands
two hard leg kicks. Martynuk attempts a leaping front kick that
misses. Lawrence lands a dynamite right hand that buckles, Martynuk.
Lawrence follows up with more heavy punches standing, and Martynuk
goes down. Lawrence pounces but cannot finish. Lawrence steps
over into mount, but Martynuk bucks his hips and escapes, incredibly.
Great durability from Martynuk, but so far he’s outclassed.
Lawrence rifles off a cracking leg kick, followed by another
one. Lawrence just misses with a step-through hook kick. 10-8
Lawrence.
Round
3
Lawrence finally lands that side kick to start round three. Lawrence
drops him with a savage left hook, and in his excitement, delivers
a soccer kick to Martynuk’s head. Martynuk cannot continue,
and Big John waves the fight off. The foul is ruled accidental,
and Lawrence is awarded a unanimous technical decision with scores
of 30-27 across the board.
Fernando
Bettega vs. Wayne Phillips
Round 1
Bettega comes out and throws a heavy left hook. The pair clinches
against the cage. Bettega is trying hard for a takedown. The
Brazilian lands a sharp knee before Phillips turns him around.
Now Luke Rockhold’s protégé is ducking for
a single. He turns it into a double and finishes the takedown.
Bettega thinks about a kimura, but gives it up quickly. Phillips
is inactive from top position. Bettega wants a sweep, but he
abandons it in favor of an arm-in guillotine, but Phillips is
safe. He pops his head out and maintains top control. Big John
has seen enough and stands the two up. Phillips lands a nice
body kick. 10-9 Phillips.
Round
2
Both men are throwing shots to start the second, but Phillips
is the more accurate. He lands a nice jab, followed by a straight
left a minute later. Bettega charges and presses Phillips against
the fence. Bettega tries an elbow on the break, but Phillips
smothers him. They separate, and Bettega lands a long right hand
to Phillip’s face. Phillips retorts with another body kick
to Bettega’s liver. Both men are throwing conservatively,
and the crowd boos. The fighters clinch again as the bell sounds.
10-9 Phillips.
Round
3
Phillips is finding a home for that liver kick. Bettega lands
a semi-hard right hand. Bettega is working a lead-leg outside
leg kick with some success, but Phillips isn’t fazed. Phillips
lands another body kick, followed by a crisp straight left. Phillips
shoots a head-outside single, but Bettega falls with it, trying
for another arm-in guillotine. This one looks a bit tighter,
but Phillips is still not in trouble. He pops his head out once
more. Phillips lands short punches from half guard. Phillips
seems contend to ride this out to a decision. Bettega is desperately
trying to recover full guard. He manages it, and he’s trying
for a triangle on Phillips’ left arm. It’s no use,
though, as Phillips breaks the wrist control. 10-9 Phillips.
Bettega
takes a split decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29.
Minutes later, it's announced that a scoring error was made,
with judge Jackson Harper officially scoring the duel 29-28 for
Phillips, not Bettega, so it's split decision win for Wayne Phillips.
Benji
Radach vs. Ovince St. Preux
Round 1
Our referee for this bout is Mike England. Both men meet at the
center and tensely dance around. St. Preux lands a kick to the
body and Radach presses in with punches after absorbing it. Radach
puts St. Preux on his posterior against the fence, and St. Preux
is warned twice to not grab the fence. St. Preux gets to the
feet and gets free, swinging away. Radach tries to counter, but
eats a head kick and goes to turtle position. St. Preux takes
his back and punches the sides of his head. St. Preux flattens
Radach and starts dropping the punches. Radach covering up his
ears in an attempt to defend. St. Preux targeting the body with
punches from back mount, mixing it up with hammers to the side
of the head. Referee Mike England urging Radach to move. St.
Preux tries for a choke, but instead opts to keep hammering until
the bell. Radach is putting up absolutely no defense -- he's
just lying there, eating punches until the bell. Sherdog.com
scores the round 10-8 St. Preux.
Round
2
St. Preux meets Radach in the center, lands a solid one-two uppercut
and rag-dolls Radach on the floor, recapturing his back. From
riding time position, St. Preux racks up more punches to the
side of Radach's head. The crowd gets restless as St. Preux slows
down with his punching assault. Radach, meanwhile, is sitting
in turtle position and doing little else than covering up. Ref
Mike England urging Radach to move, and so Radach creeps forward
a bit on his hands and knees and settles against the cage. St.
Preux is still on his back, dropping punches. Radach finally
gets to his posterior, and St. Preux works to recapture his back.
St. Preux gets it in the last minute and drops more punches from
behind. The crowd is still booing when the bell rings. Sherdog.com
scores the round 10-9 St. Preux.
Round
3
Radach charges in at St. Preux and puts him against the fence
with punches. Some connect, but Radach is far too fatigued to
brave through St. Preux's counterpunches. St. Preux connects
with one of those counters, dropping Radach back to the turtle
position. Settling back into the pattern of things, St. Preux
again settles on Radach's back to drop punches to the side of
Radach's head. Ref Englad steps in to break up the fight. St.Preux
throws a headkick, which Radach blocks. Radach returns with punches,
pushing St. Preux into the cage. Radach reaching for a single
leg, but is using the attempt to rest, rather than to get the
takedown. Another break is called, and Radach lands a grazing
overhand right before diving into another takedown attempt. St.
Preux stuffs it easily. St. Preux drops some elbows to the side
of Radach's head, which prompts a warning from the ref about
"north-south elbows." Another break is called and Radach
again lunges with sloppy punches to put St. Preux against the
fence. Radach gets a takedown in the final 20 seconds, lands
in St. Preux's guard, but has little time to capitalize. Sherdog.com
scores the round 10-9 St. Preux.
Official
scores: 30-27, 30-26 and 30-25 for St. Preux, the winner by unanimous
decision.
Antonio
Silva vs. Mike Kyle
Round 1
Our referee for this bout will be "Big John" McCarthy.
They touch gloves and Silva takes the center. Kyle throws a few
jabs, and then gets through with a big right hand. Silva falls
onto his posterior and a surprised Kyle lunges to finish. Kyle
drops a bunch of punches from inside Silva's guard, but Silva
is starting to come back around under fire. Kyle is still able
to land some hard punches however while Silva scrambles on bottom
to defend. Silva tries to turn into Kyle and close distance.
Silva takes bottom in half guard and looks for sweeps while Kyle
drops hammerfists to the side of Silva's head. Silva recovers
full guard and holds onto Kyle to keep him in close. Kyle headbutts
Silva's solar plexus and Big John warns him for it. Kyle drops
a few forearms to Silva's belly followed by more punches to the
side of Silva's head. Silva works some wrist control and kicks
Kyle off of him right at the bell. 10-8 Kyle.
Round
2
Silva shoots in right after a few jabs. Kyle shucks him off easily.
Silva lands a hard leg kick. Silva overwhelms Kyle against the
cage and gets him down. Silva punches his way from guard to side
control, turning into North-South position. Silva spins to Kyles
left side and drops some big punches. Kyle gets to his posterior
against the cage and Silva wraps his arms around the American's
neck for the Anaconda. Kyle struggles briefly, but escapes. Silva
relentlessly moves to take full mount on Kyle whereupon he postures
up and drops humongous punches. It's only a matter of time until
Kyle goes rubbery, his arms splaying wildly above his head. Big
John steps in to call the fight at 2:49 of round two.
Robbie
Lawler vs. Matt Lindland
Round 1
Mike England is our referee for this bout. Both men meet at the
center and begin throwing. Lawler lands several lead rights,
but Lindland is fearlessly walking into the punches, looking
to tie "Ruthless" up. It's an ill-advised strategy
as the southpaw Lawler lands a hard right uppercut and right
hook into the oncoming Lindland, which drops him awkwardly to
the mat. Lawler lunges with a huge right hand, connecting right
on Lindland's chin, separating him from consciousness. The official
time was 50 seconds into the first period.
Paul
Daley vs. Scott Smith
Round 1
Officiating duties fall on "Big John" McCarthy for
this fight. They touch gloves and Daley gets to swinging. Daley
lands a hard leg kick and a nice punch to the body. Smith working
his jab, throwing a low kick of his own. Daley lands a one-two
that makes Smith wobble and fall to his posterior against the
cage. Smith quickly recovers and gets to his feet, throwing the
jab to keep Daley at bay. Daley working his own jab high and
low, landing every time. Daley landing some nice right hooks
now. Smith pushes forward to stuff his jab in Daley's face and
eats a swift lead hook to the chin which melts him. A rigid Smith
falls straight forward, prompting Daley to walk away with his
arms raised. Big John calls the bout at 2:09 of round one.
Dan
Henderson vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
Round 1
"Big John" McCarthy is our third man in the cage for
this fight. They touch gloves and tensely measure each other
at the center of the cage. Henderson looks for the collar tie,
but Babalu pulls back and lands low kicks. Henderson throws a
big right which goes wide. Babalu mixing push kicks with low
kicks. Henderson crouches low and launches two left hooks. Babalu
charges in under a Henderson barrage of punches to go for a leg.
Henderson spins into Sobral's guard. Henderson stands up then,
chucks Sobral's legs to the side and drops five savage right-handed
bombs, absolutely crushing Babalu. Big John steps in to save
Sobral at 1:53 of the first round.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
'TUF 12 Finale' Results & Live Play-by-Play
Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
Dave
Branch vs. Rich Attonito
Round 1
Josh Rosenthal is the referee for the evening's opening contest.
Both fighters come out with an orthodox stance. Branch shoots
in for a single leg, but he's stuffed coming in. Branch decides
to then press Attonito into the cage. They separate after 40
seconds. Branch is cautious and avoids Attonito's wild punches.
Attonito misses a loopy right hand and is taken down. Branch
lands in Attonito's half guard. After a scramble, Branch is push
kicked off but he quickly dives back in and scores a takedown
as his foe tries to stand. Branch quickly mounts him but a scramble
allows Attonito to stand up. Branch drags him down again. Branch
tries an inverted triangle but Attonito escapes at the horn.
10-9 Branch.
Round
2
Attonito misses a wild right hand after he blocks a head kick.
They clinch. Branch presses his opponent into the cage. Very
little action 90 seconds in. Attonito delivers a sturdy knee
to the gut. Branch is not letting him breathe. Attonito falls
down but quickly springs back up. They scramble but Branch is
all over him. Very dull second round. Branch expolodes for a
slam but he's stuffed and is crucifixed. They scramble again
and Branch seizes side control. Branch land a few meager punches.
Attonito pulls to half guard but can't escape or sweep. 10-9
Branch.
Round
3
Branch quickly scores a textbook double leg takedown but Attonito
scrambles back to his feet. Branch presses Attonito into the
cage. He keeps him there for 20 seconds and then drags him down.
Attonito pulls guard. The sparse crowd is growing restless. Branch
delivers three decent right elbows. Branch moves to half guard.
Very little action. They scramble and Branch takes his back.
Both hooks are in. Attonito rolls over and turtles up. Branch
can't sink the rear-naked choke just yet. Attonito stands up
and shakes Branch off. He misses a wild right hand and Branch
quickly presses him into the cage until the end. 10-9 Branch.
Official
scores: 30-27s across the board for Branch, the winner by unanimous
decision.
Fredson
Paixao vs. Pablo Garza
Round 1
Paixao eats a left jab right away. Hard right low kick scores
for Paixao. Garza's length and lanky body is causing Paixao problems.
Huge flying knee from Garza. Paixao is out. He's flat on his
back and is completely out cold. His arms are stiffened in the
"shoot in" position. Garza hit him with the knee right
as Paixao ducked under for a double leg. He is still out on his
back some 45 seconds later. He is finally moving his legs roughly
two minutes after the blow to the face. He's still down. Medical
staff has him surrounded and he is still on his back almost four
minutes after the KO. Finally he is able to sit up. They put
a neck brace on him to be extra safe. Garza is thrilled for the
win, but it's clear he is very concerned for Paixao. Finally
he is up on his feet and is being escorted out. He is very wobbly
and has to be carried off the steps and now he's sitting on a
stretcher. The official time is just 0:51 of round one.
Nick
Pace vs. Will Campuzano
Round 1
The referee for this contest is Chris Togoni. Campuzano blocks
a quick knee by Pace and takes a left shin to the ribs. They
trade blows. Pave shoots in his he's stuffed. They clinch against
the cage and Pace drags him down. Pace lands five straight left
hands. Campuzano can't get back to his feet. Finally he does.
Pace forces him down again courtesy of a trip and shove. Pace
scores the mount but Campuzano is very calm. They scramble and
Will is back up. Pace quickly drags him back down. Pace takes
his back, but he's reversed. Campuzano is sitting on Pace's stomach
with his back to him. Nothing is doing so he scrambles up. Pace
slams him back down at the horn. 10-9 Pace.
Round
2
Pace throws a head kick. They both swing wildly and miss. Low
kick by Pace. Campuzano is fighting from a safer distance and
is using his reach advantage well. Nice front kick by Campuzano
followed by a right hand. Campuzano tries a takedown, but he's
stuffed. Finally, after almost a minute of clinching, Pace drags
him down. Campuzano wall walks back up to his feet. Pace struggles
but finally drags his foe down again. Not much action at this
point. Pace is all over him, not letting him move. Campuzano
finally stands and then slams Pace down at the end of the frame.
10-9 Pace.
Round
3
Pace extends his left arm to touch gloves, but Campuzano punches
him instead. The punch glances him and they trade blows. Will
fires several loopy, winging right hands and misses them all.
Pace bides his time and scores a textbook double leg. After a
scramble Campuzano sweeps him and lands in Pace's guard. Campuzano
lands two elbows. Campuzano stands up and dives back in with
a hard left hammer fist. He does it again, but lands in an awkward
triangle. Pace has only one leg over his head and his arms underneath.
He locks on a unique arm/leg triangle and forces the tap. Official
time is 4:33.
Pace
reveals that he just made that choke up. It's a cross between
a triangle and guillotine or a gogoplata with the leg over the
head and arm underneath. He just named it "The Pace."
Kyle
Watson vs. Sako Chivitchyan
Round 1
Sako rushes out and is very assertive. Watson feels him out and
backs away. They clinch and Sako presses him into the cage. Watson
reverses position, and then is reversed himself. They trade knees.
They separate. The fire and miss punches and Sako clinches again.
Watson takes him down, but Sako quickly stands up. Watson slams
him down again but Sako springs right up. The trade punches.
Watson fires a flurry and it leads to a quick takedown. Sako
stands again. They trade punches against the cage again. 10-9
Watson.
Round
2
They rush right out and fire away, though nothing lands for either.
They clinch. Sako lands a nice left hand as they separate. Watson
is moving from side to side and giving Sako problems. They clinch
again. Sako presses Watson into the cage. They separate. A hard
right hand by Watson lands as Sako comes in. Sako lands a decent
right cross on the inside. Sako is hit in the groin by an errant
knee, and is given time to recover. He's good to go. They resume
and Sako absorbs a thudding shin to the ribs. They trade blows
but again they clinch. Sako presses Watson into the fence. Watson
lands two meager knees just before the horn. 10-9 Watson.
Round
3
Sako lands a stiff left-right-left immediately, but Watson takes
it. Watson fires a head kick and it glances off Sako's dome.
Both men are doing a lot of feinting, leaving for a dull two
minutes. Watson scores a takedown, but Sako springs back up.
Stiff left straight by Watson. Watson forces Sako into the fence.
Very little action. It's a close fight but Sako might need a
KO to win. Watson digs a kick to Sako's ribs. Another. Right
hand by Watson just before the horn. 10-9 Watson.
Official
scores: 30-27 (twice) and 29-28 for Watson, the winner by unanimous
decision.
Ian
Loveland vs. Tyler Toner
Round 1
Hard right low kick by Toner. Loveland cracks him with a hard
right hand and Toner drops. Loveland pounces and lands another
right hand and tees off. Toner covers up well and blocks most
of the shots. Loveland smartly slows down the attrition as not
to waste energy. Toner is on his back and pinned against the
cage. Toner pulls guard. Very little action now. Toner's defense
is strong as Loveland isn't landing anything or able to pass
the guard. Three minutes have passed with very little action.
Toner tries an armbar but can't sink it. Loveland lands two decent
punches before the horn. 10-9 Loveland.
Round
2
Toner misses a high kick. Loveland misses a spinning-back fist,
but does connect with two ensuing right hands. Hard low kick
by Toner. Loveland lands a right hand, which bloodies Toner's
nose. Nice right uppercut on the inside by Loveland. Not much
action on the feet and the crowd is getting restless. Hard back
fist by Loveland rocks Toner and he stumbles to the canvas. Loveland
dives onto him and unloads a fury. Toner recovers well and defends
wisely. Toner almost locks up a triangle but Loveland escapes.
Loveland stands over Toner and lands some moderate punches. 10-9
Loveland.
Round
3
Both fighting at a measured pace early on. Toner lands a grazing
head kick. Loveland backing up, looking to land one massive counter
to end it. Hard low kick by Toner. Very little action. Toner
pressing the issue but Loveland isn't doing anything. A minute
left and almost nothing of note has landed. Very passive round.
Decent counter right hand by Loveland. Low kick by Toner. Neither
man wanted the win in the final round. 10-9 Toner.
Official
scores: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-26 for Loveland, winner by unanimous
decision.
Aaron
Wilkinson vs. Cody McKenzie
Round 1
McKenzie rushes right across the cage and tries a takedown but
falls into a guillotine. He escapes and scrambles up. McKenzie
quickly latches on a standing guillotine. Wilkinson remains calm
and fends it off. They scramble again and McKenzie takes him
down. McKenzie latches on the guillotine from on top. He rolls
him over and sinks it. Wilkinson taps out. Official time is 2:03
of the first round.
Leonard
Garcia vs. Nam Phan
Round 1
Herb Dean referees the first televised fight of the show, which
is also the first televised UFC featherweight bout. Both men
swinging away early and Phan lands a solid right upside the head
of Garcia, who’s swinging and missing with big, looping
shots. Thudding body kick by Phan is answered in kind by Garcia.
Phan connects with a nice three-piece combo. The fighters trade
body shots and Garcia tries a spinning back-fist that’s
blocked. Left jab is working for Phan now, as Garcia continues
to throw wild hooks and uppercuts which mostly miss or connect
with Phan’s arms. Phan lands a head kick, but Garcia keeps
moving forward, shaking his head. 10-9 Phan.
Round
2
Garcia comes out firing, connecting with a nice body shot and
throwing multiple head kicks. Garcia pressing the action with
punches and leg kicks until a nice hook from Phan slows him down
a bit. Ninety seconds into the round, Garcia shoots and rushes
Phan into the fence with a double-leg, but Phan escapes quickly.
Phan ducks a punch from Garcia and rocks him with an uppercut,
then begins to tee off. Phan lands four or five hard shots before
Garcia finally hits the mat. Phan gives chase, taking Garcia’s
back and sinking in both hooks as Garcia rolls away from the
base of the cage. Riding high on Garcia’s back, Phan rolls
his opponent onto his side and tries to sink in the rear-naked
choke. Good wrist control from Garcia, but Phan gets an arm under
and looks to have the choke. Garcia appears to quickly double-tap,
then pries Phan’s arm loose. The bout continues and Phan
finishes on top with a few short punches. 10-9 Phan.
Round
3
Phan is cut early on in the final round, bleeding from the right
side of his face. The cut appears to be on the brow or up along
the hairline. Garcia tries a takedown, can’t hold Phan down,
and Phan comes up swinging and digging some of his trademark
body blows. Garcia was connecting better in the second round
than the first, but now he’s back to swinging wild. Jab
from Phan snaps back the head of Garcia. Tired-looking kick from
Garcia is timed by Phan, who punishes him with a stiff jab. Garcia
is clearly exhausted, hands by his side, but still throwing.
Uppercut to the body from Phan, then one to the head. Garcia
pushes Phan into the fence and again can’t hold him there
for long. Garcia hears the 10 second clapper and windmills one
more time. 10-9 Phan.
Official
scores: 29-28 Garcia, 30-27 Phan and 29-28 for Leonard Garcia,
winner by split decision.
Johny
Hendricks vs. Rick Story
Round 1
Steve Mazzagatti in charge of this welterweight contest. Story
lands a right hand early, then Hendricks lunges with a left straight
that lands flush. They clinch and Story throws a flurry of punches
to the body of Hendricks. Story with a hard combination as Hendricks
covers up. Story doubles over, hunting for a takedown, but can’t
get it. The fighters work over-unders and clinch briefly before
disengaging. More body blows from Story, followed by a nice three-piece
that sends Hendricks wheeling away. Hendricks trying to keep
his distance and use movement to keep Story at bay, but Story’s
aggression is winning out so far in a close round. Hendricks
catches a kick and drags Story down, but Story works back to
his feet and Hendricks ends the round with a waistlock against
the fence. 10-9 Story.
Round
2
Hendricks throws a glancing combo which causes Story to rush
forward with a barrage of his own. Takedown from Story and Hendricks
briefly grabs a guillotine, which he lets go in order to wall-walk
and stand back up. Hendricks tries for a takedown of his own
and winds up on the floor with Story high on his back. Story
slips off and Hendricks tries a front guillotine which doesn’t
take. They’re back to clinching against the fence with Story
getting the better of the clinch work, kneeing and punching to
the left side of Hendricks’ rib cage. Story plows Hendricks
to the mat with a double-leg, but Hendricks uses butterfly guard
to work back to his feet. Story still has the waistlock and is
kneeing to Hendricks’ left leg and midsection. 10-9 Story.
Round
3
Early takedown attempt from Hendricks is briefly defended, but
he wrestles Story down and then grabs a guillotine. Story gets
to his feet and turns the tables, snaring a guillotine of his
own. Hendricks rolls to guard and pushes himself free, but Story
stays on top as Hendricks turtles. Hendricks drives forward,
pushing Story into the fence as Story controls his man’s
right arm. No offense coming from either man in the third minute
of the round, with Story sitting against the cage and Hendricks
just latching on to Story’s legs, trying to improve position.
Story is breathing heavily as Hendricks pins him to the fence,
and finishes the round with a couple short elbows to Hendricks’
body. 10-10.
Official
scores: All three judges see it 29-28 for Rick Story, the winner
by unanimous decision.
Demian
Maia vs. Kendall Grove
Round 1
The referee for this middleweight bout is Josh Rosenthal. Maia
lands an overhand left and Grove responds by chasing him down
with a combo which includes a nice right straight. Maia grabs
the right leg of Grove and drags him down, then leaps to pass
guard, but Grove doesn’t stay down for long. Maia is tenacious,
though, and takes Grove’s back on the feet as Grove turns
into the fence. Maia briefly leaps onto Grove’s back, but
Grove defends, so the Brazilian instead spins Grove down to the
mat again. Maia in Grove’s half-guard, trying to pass as
he elbows to the “TUF” winner’s body. Maia mounts
and Grove rolls, giving up his back with just under two minutes
left. Grove escapes the dangerous position by rolling and shucking
Maia off, but Maia stays right on him, keeping busy with hard
shots from the top. Grove rolls and gives up his back again,
allowing Maia to look for a rear-naked choke with a single hook
in. Grove defends the choke well and survives the scare, but
it’s clearly Maia’s round. 10-9 Maia.
Round
2
Tentative jabbing early in the round before Maia shoots for a
single-leg and Grove easily steps away from it. The second attempt
from Maia is successful, and the BJJ black belt now works from
half-guard, thumping away to the ribs and head of Grove. A leglock
attempt from Grove is unsuccessful, but allows him to get back
to his feet, where Maia immediately gets to working for another
takedown. Maia gets it, but this time stalls out in Grove’s
guard, unable to pass. Grove creates space and keeps the now-standing
Maia away with upkicks, but Maia dives through the guard. Grove
rolls and gives up his back, and Maia spends the final minute
of the round on Grove’s back, punching away. 10-9 Maia.
Round
3
Grove pops Maia with a few nice jabs, then chases him down with
a solid combo. Lots of circling through the first half of the
frame, with neither man looking particularly desperate to finish,
though Grove probably should be. Grove lands a few short shots
to the face of Maia, who answers with one to Grove’s breadbasket.
With 90 seconds left, Maia latches on to Grove’s left leg.
Grove answers with a jumping knee, but Maia clings on. Nice defense
from Grove, who stays vertical and rains shots to the face and
body of the doubled-over Maia. That’s where the fight ends.
10-9 Grove.
Official
scores: Three scores of 29-28 from the judges, who unanimously
award the bout to Demian Maia.
Stephan
Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac
Round 1
Steve Mazzagatti returns to referee the light heavyweight semi-main
event. Pokrajac blitzes Bonnar with punches early, but Bonnar
stifles the activity by pushing the Croatian into the fence.
Easy takedown by Bonnar, who quickly moves to side control and
then takes Pokrajac’s back. Bonnar tries to roll Pokrajac
and botches it, allowing Pokrajac to stand back up and muscles
Bonnar into the fence. Pokrajac lands an elbow as they separate,
then slugs a few hard shots to Bonnar’s face. Bonnar snares
a guillotine and jumps guard, and the submission looks deep.
Pokrajac flips onto his back and Bonnar tries to adjust the choke,
but Pokrajac breaks loose. Bonnar in Pokrajac’s guard briefly
before advancing to half-guard, then side control. Pokrajac turtles
and Bonnar keeps head-and-arm control, kneeing to the body and
landing short punches as he tries to secure the back. They work
back to their feet just before the round ends and Bonnar slaps
Pokrajac with a head kick. 10-9 Bonnar.
Round
2
Even clinch work early in the round before Bonnar takes the driver’s
seat by grabbing the Thai plum and drilling several knees to
Pokrajac’s midsection. Pokrajac doesn’t like this and
reverses, pushing Bonnar’s back to the fence. Bonnar reaps
the leg of Pokrajac and sends him tumbling to the mat, where
Bonnar leaps to side control on Pokrajac’s right. Horizontal
elbows and short punches from Bonnar as he lies across Pokrajac’s
chest. Pokrajac slips free and they resume trading on the feet.
More solid knees by Bonnar in the clinch, but the action slows
as the pair jockeys for position along the perimeter. Suddenly,
they split and both men begin winging punches. Pokrajac tags
Bonnar with a good one in the flurry, but Bonnar stands strong
and muscles Pokrajac into the fence again before the round ends.
10-9 Bonnar. After the round ends, Mazzagatti deducts a point
from Pokrajac for illegal knees landed to the head of Bonnar
while the fighters were on the ground, making it a 10-8 round
on our scorecard.
Round
3
Bonnar scores a takedown early and begins punishing Pokrajac
from side control. Bonnar works to mount and begins punching
furiously to the body of Pokrajac. The Croatian turtles and gives
up his back, but Bonnar squanders the position as he’s unable
to sink in the hooks. Pokrajac winds up in Bonnar’s guard
for a second, then tries an armbar, allowing Bonnar to reclaim
top position. Bonnar working from half-guard in the final minute,
trying to pass to Pokrajac’s left and sink in an arm-triangle.
Bonnar passes, but gives up the head-and-arm control, instead
opting to punch and elbow his opponent. Just before the bell,
Mazzagatti steps in and deducts a point from Bonnar for landing
two or three punches to the back of Pokrajac’s head. Bonnar
took the round once again, but after the point deduction, it’s
an even 9-9.
Official
scores: All three judges score the bout 29-26 in favor of Stephan
Bonnar, the winner by unanimous decision.
Michael
Johnson vs. Jonathan Brookins
Round 1
Referee Herb Dean is in charge of the “TUF 12” final.
Johnson lands a nice one-two off the bat, followed by an overhand
left. Brookins grabs a high single on Johnson’s left leg
and Johnson hops back into the fence. Still digging for the takedown,
Brookins gets flipped around and Johnson backs away. Johnson
drops Brookins to his knees with a stiff left hand and Johnson
gives chase. Johnson can’t finish, but he doesn’t relent
his attack as Brookins attempts to escape on the feet. More punches
from Johnson and Brookins takes a knee. Johnson tries a guillotine
and can’t find it, but it’s not a problem, as he just
goes back to lighting Brookins up on the feet. Despite eating
any number of punches, Brookins’ hands are still very low.
He nearly takes Johnson’s back in a scramble, but Johnson
slides free and finishes the round by tagging Brookins with another
pair of hard punches and stuffing a shot. 10-9 Johnson.
Round
2
Nice right hand lands for Johnson, but it’s Brookins who
finds himself on top in the ensuing scramble. Brookins lands
a few hard shots on top and then woks on passing Johnson’s
half-guard. Not much offense coming from Brookins on top, but
when he throws a punch or elbow, it lands hard. Now more short
elbows from Brookins, who still can’t extract his left leg
from between Johnson’s. Two minutes to go and Johnson is
covering up as Brookins lands more elbows. Johnson tries to create
space and get back to his feet, can’t find the distance,
but does stuff Brookins back to full guard. Shortly thereafter,
Johnson pops back to his feet. Brookins immediately begins working
for another takedown, doubling over and pushing Johnson into
the fence as Johnson elbows the side of Brookins’ head.
Brookins slams Johnson down with about a minute left and tries
for a kimura from half-guard. The round ends with Brookins still
working for the submission. 10-9 Brookins.
Round
3
Johnson scores with a combination, prompting Brookins to go back
to his single-leg attack. He puts Johnson on his rear at the
base of the cage, but can’t pull Johnson away from the fence
to put him on his back. Brookins takes mount with Johnson still
sitting up and flattens him from there, but Johnson uses the
position to sweep. Back on the feet, Johnson scores with another
nice series of punches. Brookins pulls guard with a lateral drop
before immediately sweeping into Johnson’s half-guard. Brookins
keeping busy on top with one minute remaining in the bout. He
postures up and Johnson tries to reverse the situation with a
single-leg, but Brookins finishes the round on top and may have
just eked out the win after a rough start. 10-9 Brookins.
Official
scores: The judges have it 29-28 (twice) and 29-27, all in favor
of Jonathan Brookins, the winner of the twelfth season of “The
Ultimate Fighter.”
Source: Sherdog
|
2010
World MMA Award Winners
by Ken
Pishna
The
World MMA Awards took place Wednesday night at the Pearl at the
Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
The
awards show presents the winners in a number of mixed martial
arts related categories as determined by fans via online voting.
The World MMA Awards was created by Figthers Only in 2008.
MMAWeekly.com
was proud to again be nominated in the Media Source of the Year
category.
Below
are the winners from the 2010 World MMA Awards. Congratulations
to all of the winners and our fellow nominees.
REFEREE
OF THE YEAR: Herb Dean
BEST TECHNICAL CLOTHING BRAND: Bad Boy
BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT BRAND: Everlast MMA
MEDIA SOURCE OF THE YEAR: MMAjunkie.com
BEST PROMOTION: UFC
SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR: Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko
at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum”
GYM OF THE YEAR: Wand Training Center
MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR: Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com
COACH OF THE YEAR: Greg Jackson
BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING BRAND: TapouT
INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Alistair Overeem
RING GIRL OF THE YEAR: Arianny Celeste
LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR: Dana White, UFC president
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MMA: Randy Couture
MOST
MEMORABLE RING ENTRANCE: Jason “Mayhem” Miller
FIGHT
OF THE YEAR: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117
FEMALE
FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
KO OF THE YEAR: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Lyoto Machida
at UFC 113
BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Jon Jones
CHARLES “MASK” LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Jose Aldo
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Buakaw
Por. Pramuk, Kazunori Yokota and Others Added to Sengoku Soul
of Fight
By Daniel
Herbertson
Sengoku Raiden Championship promoter World Victory Road announced
six fights on Thursday for its end of year "Soul Of Fight"
event to be held at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo on December
30th.
Recently
crowned Shoot Boxing S-Cup Champion and two time K-1 World MAX
Champion Buakaw Por. Pramuk will take on 2010 K-1 MAX Japan tournament
finalist Hiroki Nakajima in a kickboxing bout while Grabaka's
Kazunori Yokota will try to claim revenge for former team mate
Akihiro Gono when he faces Team Asashoryu's Jadamba Narantungalag
under MMA rules.
Also
announced were kickboxing bouts, muay thai bouts and "jacket"
matches (which are likely to be essentially combat sambo bouts)
featuring the likes of Flyweight King Of Pancrase Kiyotaka Shimizu,
WBC Muay Thai Bantamweight Champion Arashi Fujiwara and New Japan
Kickboxing Flyweight Champion Mutsuki Ebata.
Buakaw sat out this year's K-1 World MAX tournament as FEG officials
requested that the two-time champ move down to their 63kg division,
something that did not sit well with the Thai. His debut in this
years Shoot Boxing S-Cup was a successful one as he dominated
all of his opponents and looked at home in the ring under a rule-set
that allows throws and clinching.
Hiroki
Nakajima arrived on the K-1 scene in 2010 and was expected to
make waves based on the strength of his 2009 Krush tournament
win and got off to a good start in the Japan GP, claiming two
clean knockouts with his hands but ran into a a highly motivated
Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima in the finals where Nakajima
himself was knocked out. Albert Kraus in July proved to be a
test too great for the young Nakajima and based off that performance,
one would think that Buakaw should also be too much for the puncher.
That
this fight is being contested under kickboxing rules similar
to those of K-1 is disappointing considering how badly the rules
cripple the Muay Thai of Buakaw.
Akihiro
Gono was considered a lock going into his lightweight debut against
the relatively inexperienced Jadamba Narantungalag but the UFC
and Pride veteran dropped a comprehensive decision to the Mongolian
. Yokota has spent most of 2010 sidelined with an injury that
was a result of a car crash in late 2009 and his return to the
ring was spoiled in October by Brian Cobb who came in heavy but
managed to win a tough fought split decision.
SRC
Featherweight Champion Marlon Sandro recently posted on his Facebook
page that he has been booked for an end of year title defence
but has not revealed his opponent. It is obvious that the fight
to make within the promotion is against Shooto Champion Hatsu
Hioki. Sandro's opponent, along with 14 other bouts are planned
to be announced some time next week.
Sengoku's
all day end of year event will also feature the SRC Bantamweight
Asia Tournament Semifinals and SRC Welterweight GP Series 2010
Final which will feature hot prospect Yasubey Enomoto taking
on Keita "Ktaro" Nakamura.
Sengoku
- Soul of Fight, December 30th, 2010 at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo,
Japan
MMA
Rules
SRC Welterweight GP Series 2010 Final
Yasubey Enomoto vs. Keita "Ktaro" Nakamura
SRC
Bantamweight Asia Tournament Semifinals
Manabu Inoue vs. Shunichi Shimizu
Akitoshi Tamura vs. Taiyo Nakahara
Kazunori
Yokota vs. Jadamba Narantungalag
Yoshihiro "KISS" Nakao vs. Dave Herman
Sengoku
Kickboxing Rules
Buakaw Por. Pramuk vs. Hiroki Nakajima
Yutaro Yamauchi vs. Go Yokoyama
Shintaro Matsukura vs. Yusuke Ikei
Muay
Thai Rules
Fabiano Cyclone vs. Ryuta Noji
Arashi Fujiwara vs. Mutsuki Ebata
Kanongsuk Weerasakreck vs. Genki Yamamoto
SRC
"Jacket" Rules
Sotaro Yamada vs. Lee Sak Kim
Kiyotaka Shimizu vs. Ichiro Sugita
Women's
Muay Thai
Erika Kamimura vs. Chiharu
Planned
Participants
Marlon Sandro
Kazuo Misaki
Akihiro Gono
Hiroshi Izumi
Masanori Kanehara
Maximo Blanco
Yuji Tanaka
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Randy
Couture is out of the rotation
With
two movies and his 48th birthday coming up in 2011, Randy Couture
has asked Dana White to give him some time off. Via MMA Fighting:
"I
think some of it boils down to what I really want to do,"
Couture said. "I'm trying to make smart decisions. I have
all this other stuff going on, and timing is everything. The
timing seems right for me to look at those things and to be rational
and to really look down the road."
Couture
added that he might consider another fight if the UFC were to
offer him something "interesting," but estimated that
there was about a "60 to 70 percent chance" that he
wouldn't fight at all in 2011.
"I've
had very candid discussions with [UFC president] Dana [White]
about where I'm at and what I'm focused on," Couture said.
"I think he understands. I think he gets the timing of it
and I think he gets where I'm at and where I'm coming from. He's
been very supportive. That doesn't mean he doesn't have his own
ideas about what he'd like me to do, but I think he's been very
understanding."
I've
still got 20 bucks on Randy fighting in 2011. But it's official:
you better appreciate every fight we get out of the Natural now,
because they're gonna be his last. That means no groans if he
ends up fighting Mirko Crocop, kay?
Source: Fight Linker
|
Greg
Jackson by the numbers
By Jake
Rossen
The most frequently used analogy when evaluating Dana White's
public persona is that we never see David Stern dunking a basketball
on the cover of a magazine, filming 90-minute cable specials
on his training to dunk a basketball or publicly deriding the
talent under his own banner.
Greg Jackson doesn't buy the criticism that his fighters play
it safe.
When
confronted with this, White insists he's not Stern and that he
will continue to tell it like it is.
White's
latest target, coach Greg Jackson, responded to criticisms his
fighters were too conservative by pointing out to MMAFighting.com
that his athletes had received 12 fight-night bonuses in the
past 22 shows. That's an award virtually every other event.
"He
wants to say there's a consistency?" Jackson told Ben Fowlkes.
"OK, let's look at statistical consistencies. Let's look
at Jon Jones, who has finished every fight [he has worked] with
me in the first round, except for that Matt Hamill one. ... Look
at Carlos Condit, who had fight of the night and knockout of
the night. ... Almost everybody on our team finishes consistently.
There's no fact. Everybody's just making stuff up."
That
last bit is a stretch. Fair or not, main events typically get
a microscope examination, and several of Jackson's headliners
-- Nate Marquardt, Rashad Evans and others -- have been in snoozers.
But his point is otherwise valid. Why blanket this gym with a
critique that applies only in certain situations?
White
has a heavy investment in being perceived as "one of the
guys" by fans, and he probably believes criticism of his
fighters displays a solidarity with his audience. White is looking
out for you crazy kids.
Source: ESPN
|
UFC
NEWS: Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera promoted to UFC 125 main
card
By: Jamie
Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The light heavyweight bout between Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera
has been promoted to the main card of the UFC 125 event on New
Year's Day, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.
With
Jose Aldo being forced off the card, the UFC had an opening for
the main card, and they've decided to promote the Vera-Silva
fight into that slot.
Aldo's
scheduled opponent Josh Grispi now meets Dustin Poirier on the
night's preliminary card. No decision has yet been made as to
whether or not this event will receive an hour long "Prelims
Live" special on Spike TV, as the UFC and Spike have not
yet finalized a new deal on airing the one hour specials for
events in 2011.
Silva
has not fought since the first event of 2010, where he lost a
unanimous decision to Rashad Evans in the main event of UFC 108.
He has battled a back injury that has taken him out of proposed
fights during the year, and is now prepared to return. He is
1-2 over his last three fights, with a knockout win over Keith
Jardine sandwiched between losses to Lyoto Machida and Evans.
Vera
returns to action for the first time since his March loss to
Jon Jones on Versus. It was his second straight loss, and Vera
is just 3-5 in the UFC since the end of 2006. Vera suffered multiple
facial fractures during the fight with Jones and has been recovering
from those injuries for much of 2010.
UFC
125 airs live on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena
on January 1, 2011, headlined by the Lightweight Championship
bout between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.
Penick's
Analysis: I'm holding out hope that the UFC and Spike will bring
a "Prelims Live" special to the network for this event,
as there are far too many good fights that could be missed without
that extra hour. If they want to give an easy final sell for
the pay-per-view, they'll put the Josh Grispi vs. Dustin Poirier
fight on Spike. It would be a complete shame if they don't run
that fight with Grispi the intended challenger for one of their
newest titles. These fighters need to be introduced to the UFC
audience, and this fight is especially key.
Source: MMA Torch
|
Lee
Murray has had his prison sentence increased by fifteen years.
The
former UFC and Cage Rage fighter was jailed for ten years in
June this year following a trial in Morocco for his part in a
multi-million pound robbery in the UK four years ago.
Murray
fled to Morocco because he has Moroccan citizenship through his
father and Morocco has no extradition treaty with the UK. He
thought he would escape prosecution there but the UK leaned on
Moroccan authorities to have him tried in a Moroccan court for
his part in the UK robbery.
The
robbery netted £53 million and there have been stiff sentences
handed down to Murray’s co-conspirators in the UK. One of
them, Jetmir Bucpapa, 28, was sentenced to 30 years in a maximum
security institution.
British
authorities felt that Murray’s ten-year sentence was too
lenient and appealed as soon as they could following the June
hearing. The sentence was increased by 15 years, prompting Murray
to launch his own appeal against that. The appeal was heard and
dismissed today, cementing a 25-year sentence for the 30-year-old.
While
remanded in custody awaiting trial, Murray got into more trouble
after his cell was discovered to have five kilos of hashish in
it alongside a laptop with internet access. He also had an escape
attempt foiled after small saws were found hidden in a plate
of biscuits. He had been on a weight-loss program and intended
to saw through the window-bars and slip out.
Source: Fighters Only
|
Trainer
Greg Jackson says facts don't back up UFC boss' criticism
by Steven
Marrocco
Greg Jackson has found himself in the unenviable position of
defending his life's work – against a man to whom he owes
his livelihood.
More
than a month after UFC president Dana White singled him out as
a partial cause of a dud main event at UFC 122, Jackson has broken
his silence with a list of stats.
The
list, sent today to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) via email,
details the honors that his fighters have achieved in 2010: knockouts,
submissions, quick finishes, and performance bonuses.
Some
highlights: Jon Jones, who finished two his three most recent
opponents in the first round; Clay Guida, who shrugged off his
wrestling rep by submitting two of his three most recent opponents;
former contender Shane Carwin, who stopped four of his five UFC
opponents in the first round; Donald Cerrone, who's won performance
bonuses in six out of seven of his most recent appearances; and,
of course, Georges St-Pierre, who in March kept his welterweight
belt by dominating Dan Hardy.
Perhaps
the most impressive stat is the one that says Jackson fighters
took home extra cash for their efforts in one out every two UFC
events.
The
stats, Jackson says, are a logical counter to White's assertion
that his fighters don't put everything on the line. He's usually
not the guy to get out the pitchfork on Internet forums or give
bluster-filled interviews. He says he's still mild-mannered.
But
he also feels the facts paint a much different picture than White
suggests.
Following
this past month's UFC 122 event, an exasperated White took aim
at Jackson-trained fighter Nate Marquardt, who dropped a unanimous
decision to Yushin Okami in a middleweight title eliminator bout.
A short while after Marquardt said he felt he'd done enough to
win, the UFC executive went off.
"Marquardt
is such a talented guy, and what I'm seeing is stuff from the
Greg Jackson camp," he said. "This camp continuously
– when these guys fight, their corner is either telling
them they're ahead or they're winning.
"I
mean, Nate Marquardt sat here tonight and said that he thought
he won the fight. Where the [expletive] is his corner? You go
into the last round and you're getting outstruck by a wrestler,
and you think you won the fight? And this is consistent with
the Greg Jackson camp."
Jackson
said that while the criticism is valid for an individual fight
such as Marquardt vs. Okami, it's not fair to cast the blanket
of boredom across his entire team.
"We
might have had a performance that the fans didn't like,"
Jackson said. "So if you're going to criticize that, that's
fine. Dana of all people has the right to criticize anything
he wants. It's his organization.
"But
to say (that) everybody doesn't try to finish, and that it's
a consistent problem with us when the exact 180 degree opposite
is true – I don't think there's another team that can claim
half of all bonuses given by the UFC.
"Almost
every event – one out of two – you're going to see
us take home an award. I'm not making it up. That's hard facts."
With
20 of his fighters under the UFC umbrella, Jackson feels it's
inevitable that a few will be duds.
"I
think that the UFC has done such a great job of matchmaking that
every once in a while, you're going to get two fighters who can't
find their rhythm," he said. "They can't figure out
how to take advantage of an opportunity. It's going to happen
just statistically.
"But
there's a reason that we're growing (into) the most popular sport
in the world – because they put on amazing shows. Every
once in a while, you're going to get a bad fight. That's just
the game. There's been 22 shows this year. You're going to have
a bad fight or two. It's impossible for every fight to be a barnburner.
"But
because the UFC does such a great job, people expect a barnburner
every time, and if it doesn't happen, they get upset. That's
their right. They pay their money. They get to bitch; that's
the whole part of American culture, and that's fine. But if you
bitch, you've got to at least know about your stuff. You can
bitch about the coach or whatever you want to say, but you can't
say that we're boring fighters that never finish fights. That's
silly."
At
several points during the interview, Jackson stops himself. He
doesn't want to make it seem like he's attacking White or the
promotion that's bolstered his business.
"There
are few people I respect more than Dana White," Jackson
said. "Before the UFC made it big, I was teaching in a shack.
I'm under no illusions. He's always been very nice to me. I have
not a bad word to say about Dana White. I just want to defend
my team. I'm not going after anybody personally."
Still,
he feels he must speak up.
"I'm
doing the same thing MMA artists do when we're attacked in our
sport," he said. "They say our sport is barbaric. ...
Well, if you look at the numbers, football is much more dangerous.
Boxing has more deaths.
"I
understand your perception, but here are the hard numbers."
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Todd
Duffee Turned Down an Offer to Face Antonio Silva on Strikeforce:
Henderson vs. Babalu
by Anton
Tabuena
What's next for Todd Duffee? Not Antonio Silva.
When Alistair Overeem's brother, Valentijn, went down with an
injury, Strikeforce was scrambling to find a suitable replacement
to face the #10 ranked heavyweight, Antonio Silva. They eventually
settled with Mike Kyle, but they did make an offer to a more
familiar name -- former top UFC heavyweight prospect, Todd Duffee
(7-1). According to Josh Gross, he didn't want to fight on short
notice:
Now
managed by Monte Cox. Turned down Strikeforce, Bellator offers...
Duffee was offered Antonio Silva on short notice and didn't take
it. Looks like he might fight in January on a smaller show.
Can't
blame Duffee for not taking on such a tough opponent without
getting the proper time to prepare, as it could have been another
unnecessary dent on the 24-year-old's career. We haven't heard
much from him since his UFC release, and while there were also
rumors swirling about him joining the WWE, Todd quickly debunked
them:
You
sir are wrong. Unless you know they are about to offer me millions
of dollars to work how I see fit while still persuing a mma career."
Source: Bloody Elbow
|
What's
Up With The 10 Point Must System
By Eric Kamander
It
seems that after every major MMA event questions about judging
and scoring come up, and UFC 123 is no different. While most
criticism always seems to fall on quality and education of the
judges, the main event highlights something I've been saying
for a long time now, which is that the rules are too ambiguous.
How can we expect judges to supply reasonably consistent scoring
when the rules are as so open to interpretation? I'm not saying
that the 10 point must system is inherently bad. Nor am I suggesting
that the scoring criteria be so granular that every move has
a point value and all subjectivity is removed. But I am saying
that the Unified Rules of MMA in their current form are difficult
to sustain.
Ironically
the last time I wrote about this was after Lyoto Machida's controversial
decision win against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 104.
While others have debated about who won the fight, Machida's
latest fight with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson provides
us with a useful opportunity to take an in depth look at the
scoring criteria, specifically what they are, how they are open
to interpretation, and where they need to be clarified or changed.
The
rules say that Judges shall evaluate MMA fights based on effective
striking, effective grappling, control of the fighting area and
effective aggressiveness and defense, in that order.
Effective
striking is judged by determining the number of legal strikes
landed by a contestant and the significance of such legal strikes.
This
seems pretty clear cut on the surface, after all a cross is worth
more than a jab. But how significant are leg kicks, knees to
the thighs and foot stomps, for instance? How is volume compared
to significance? Is significance determined by the type of strike
or the effect it has on the opponent? Are strikes really more
significant than submission attempts?
Effective
grappling is judged by considering the amount of successful executions
of a legal takedown and reversals. Examples of factors to consider
are take downs from standing position to mount position, passing
the guard to mount position, and bottom position fighters using
an active, threatening guard.
One
would have to assume that the example of a bottom position fighter
using an active, threatening guard is meant to represent submission
attempts. But why does one have to make such assumptions about
something as fundamental to MMA as submissions? Are submissions
really as significant as reversals? Is forcing a fighter to defend
against locked in submission as significant as holding someone
down?
Fighting
area control is judged by determining who is dictating the pace,
location and position of the bout. Examples of factors to consider
are countering a grappler's attempt at takedown by remaining
standing and legally striking; taking down an opponent to force
a ground fight; creating threatening submission attempts, passing
the guard to achieve mount, and creating striking opportunities.
Most
of the criteria here seems like the things a fighter does to
set up effective striking and grappling (and submissions). But
some of the examples listed are exactly the same as effective
grappling, such as passing the guard to achieve mount, creating
threatening submission attempts and taking down an opponent.
Does it count if a fighter counters an attempt at takedown by
remaining standing and does not strike? Should the rules really
indicate that a fighter is (or is not) a grappler? Rewarding
fighters for dictating the pace, location and position of the
bout requires that judges know every fighters preference for
each of these aspects of the fight. Is this something judges
should have to consider as opposed to what actually happens in
the fight? Are judges expected to be able to interpret when a
fighter is playing possum, is willing to fight off their back,
or prefers to circle around the outside of the fighting area?
Effective
aggressiveness means moving forward and landing a legal strike
or takedown.
Since
effective striking and grappling is listed above one must assume
that this refers to ineffective striking or takedowns. I suggest
this is worthy of some clarification. Where does a judge draw
the line between what is effective and what is not effective,
but is still somehow significant. Why is effective aggressiveness
determined by moving forward as opposed to just attacking, regardless
of the direction in which you are moving?
Effective
defense means avoiding being struck, taken down or reversed while
countering with offensive attacks.
The
way the rules are written it is unclear whether 1) control of
the fighting area and 2) effective aggressiveness and 3) defense
are of equal or progressively less significance.
Should
fighters have to change their fighting styles because the rules
penalize them for throwing strikes while moving backward or sideways?
Its not like they aren't attacking or are running away.
All
of these questions are left to the interpretation of the judges,
and the way each judge resolves these questions can account for
wide disparities in the manner that rounds are judged. Consider
the first two rounds of Jackson vs. Machida:
In
the first round Rampage was walking Machida down for the first
90 seconds of their fight when Machida kicked him in the leg.
Who was winning at the point? At 2 minutes in Machida's 4 leg
kicks were the only strikes landed. That's when really turned
on the aggression, but 15 seconds later Machida clinched Rampage
up and the only other strikes that had landed were another of
his leg kicks. In the clinch Rampage landed some foot stomps,
knees to the thighs and some light punches to the body. What
are they worth? With 1:55 remaining Rampage landed an uppercut,
the first major punch of the fight. Nothing else of significance
happened in round, with Machida landing one kick to the body
and pushing Rampage against the cage and landing some knees to
the thighs. The round boiled down Rampage's one uppercut vs.
about half a dozen kicks from Machida. Rampage didn't really
show any significant advantage in the fighting area control or
effective aggressiveness areas as the only times he moved forward
was in the beginning of the round when he was getting kicked
in the leg and during a flurry later on, that didn't land any
strikes. Machida was able to tie Rampage up multiple times and
push him around. I can see giving the round to Machida, but a
draw seems more appropriate.
Thirty
seconds into the 2nd round they were tied up again, with both
fighters having thrown strikes, but landing none. Its clinch
seemed to be mutual though Rampage did have Machida's back to
the cage and started landing knees to the thighs and punches
to the body until Machida reversed him and a knee to the groin
by Rampage separated them. At 3:30 remaining no more strikes
had landed and Machida tied Rampage up. Rampage landed a knee
to the body, Machida reversed up against the cage, Rampage landed
a few punches and elbows to the body. At 3:10 Machida landed
a knee to the body and Rampage used it to take Machida down.
Machida sat up immediately and Rampage held his legs until Machida
stood up at with 2:45 remaining. Machida immediately put Rampage
up against the cage for another 15 seconds until the separated.
Right after the half way mark Rampage throws a right hook, and
Machida blocks it, clinches and pushes Rampage up against the
cage. Rampage pushes off the cage, lands a knee to the body,
pushes Machida's back against the cage and starts landing more
elbows to the thigh and punches to the body. They quickly separate,
Machida rushes in with a knee to the body and Rampage lands an
uppercut. They walk each other out until Machida lands a leg
kick and ties Rampage, pushing him against the cage. Machida
fails to trip Rampage and they both land knees. They separate
and right at the end of the round Rampage throws a right, Machida
ducks and knocks Rampage to the ground. Rampage bounces back
up and blocks a kick just as the bell sounds.
The
3rd round was pretty clearly Machida's so I won't go into it.
But while watching the fight again, often in slow motion, what
I found most interesting is how often, contrary to popular opinion,
it was Machida that was controlling the space and pace, so often
tying Rampage up and pushing against the cage, as well as defending.
Now
that we've looked at what the judges need to look for, lets look
at what the judges are supposed to do with that information as
this is of equal importance and ambiguity.
Margins
of the 10 Point Must System: Draws vs. Domination
The
following objective scoring criteria shall be utilized by the
judges when scoring a round;
1.
A round is to be scored as a 10-10 Round when both contestants
appear to be fighting evenly and neither contestant shows dominance
in a round;
2.
A round is to be scored as a 10-9 Round when a contestant wins
by a close margin, landing the greater number of effective legal
strikes, grappling and other maneuvers;
3.
A round is to be scored as a 10-8 Round when a contestant overwhelmingly
dominates by striking or grappling in a round.
4.
A round is to be scored as a 10-7 Round when a contestant totally
dominates by striking or grappling in a round.
Where
does 'neither contestant shows dominance in a round' end and
'a contestant wins by a close margin' begin? Where does 'overwhelmingly
dominance' begin? What's the difference between 'overwhelming'
and 'total' domination?
How
is it that in the spectrum of all possible fights outcomes and
gradations of dominance we hardly ever see a 10-10 or a 10-8
round? What type of curve is being used to determine that almost
every round is a 10-9? If the rules stipulate that judges have
four grades to choose from when scoring a fight then we should
see scores spread somewhat evenly across the spectrum even if
they taper drastically at the ends. I can accept draws being
rare and using the smallest criteria available to determine greater
effectiveness. However, if that is the case then the bar for
'overwhelming' domination must be set correspondingly low. Conversely
if draws are given out liberally and a significant amount of
domination is required to win a round, then I can accept the
bar for a 10-8 round being set correspondingly high. But neither
is the case and that simply doesn't make sense. And what's more
important is the lack of clarity offered in the rules.
On
explanation for this is that in 3 or 5 round fights scoring a
round 10-10 or 10-8 drastically increasing the chance that the
fight will be scored a draw, and that's not popular with fans
or promotions. There are various potential remedies for draws
including more rounds, over time rounds, must decisions, full
fight scoring and half point scoring.
These
question might seem excessively picky, but these are rules and
rules should be specific. If you think the rules do not need
to be more specific than don't complain about the scoring or
judges, because they might well be asking themselves these questions
like a naked emperor wondering where are their clothes.
Full
Fight Scoring
The
FightMetric report shows that Rampage had a slight edge in round
1, the 2nd round was a draw, and Machida won the 3rd round by
a large margin. Now whether or not you agree with the assessment
of this particular fight, the possibility of this outcome is
very real. The issue here, which is that not all 10-9 rounds
are equal, plus the potential for a round being scored a draw,
means that a fighter can do better overall, but still not win
the fight. This has led many to mention how Machida would have
won the fight under the Pride rules, which is ironic considering
that Rampage used the Pride theme has his entrance music.
Does
it make sense that a fighter can lose the fight, even if he beat
his opponent? You can argue that those are the rules, but is
that the way we want the rules to be or would we prefer to see
rules that reflect who beat who up more?
Half
Point Scoring
Another
popular thought circulating recently and especially in reference
the Jackson/Machida is Nelson 'Doc' Hamilton's half point scoring
system.
One
thing that is not obvious in the name, but is essential to this
system, is that not only does it change the scoring, but it changes
the criteria used as well.
In
this system the criteria are 1) damage, 2) effective striking
and grappling (including near submissions as determined by the
referee), and 3) cage control.
This
criteria seem to be far more appropriate to MMA than the current
criteria in the Unified Rules. Although I don't know if I favor
the referee having the additional responsibility of having to
evaluate and signal to the judges whether a submission attempt
is significant. But this can just as easily be determined by
the judges without the referee's involvement.
In
addition this system introduces a fourth judge that evaluates
the fight as a whole and only comes into play to eliminate draws.
Whether or not a fourth judge or the three existing judges play
this role this would eliminate the reluctance on the part of
promotions to score 10-10 or 10-8 rounds.
As
for implementing actual half points, this will have the same
problems as the current system unless the distinctions between
each scoring gradation are clarified.
There
are many varieties of improvements that can be made to the current
rules. Which do you prefer? Whichever it is, I hope you can agree
that, even though there will always be an inherent amount of
subjectivity in judging fights, the rules need to be specific.
Source: MMA Ratings
|
Thursday’s
California Circus with Chael Sonnen & Josh Barnett
By Zach
Arnold
All
of the hearing details can be found here. 157 pages (with about
two being relevant). The meeting will take place on Thursday
at 9:30 AM at 2005 Evergreen Street (Hearing Room) in Sacramento.
Who
knows how the political winds have changed in California and
whether or not this will be a forgiving appeals panel to one
Chael Sonnen. What I do know is this — after Thursday’s
hearing, we may find out some new angles to usage of PEDs in
MMA. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned publicly that I thought
it was curious that all of a sudden we are starting to hear reports
about fighters allegedly using TRT (Testosterone Replacement
Therapy). TRT is not exactly something that you associate with
healthy guys in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. Yes, I realize that
2010 became the year that lots of potions and infomercials for
“Low T” (testosterone) got pitched to the public to
buy the latest and greatest invention to give your sex life a
boost and make you more active again like you used to be. However,
we’re talking about MMA fighters here who are viewed by
many fans as tremendous athletes. (More on a TRT defense here.)
Hormonal
replacement therapy and TRT can, in some instances, be credibly
explained. In other cases, the usage of such methods should raise
a lot of red flags. If guys are hurting their bodies allegedly
through bad weight cutting procedures or through the usage of
PEDs, then it’s hard to say with a straight face that this
is somehow a safe sport. After all, what is the purpose of TRT?
It’s used when someone has a damaged endocrine system and
has to synthetically boost their testosterone levels in their
bodies. For most sports fans, this is not a topic you think much
about. For pro-wrestling fans who have witnessed many public
scandals involving online pharmacies and mark doctors, TRT is
not a new revelation.
Which
reminds me of the back-and-forth debate that happened between
Josh Gross and Larry Pepe (here, here, and here) in which Larry
challenged the idea that so many fighters would be visiting endocrinologists
to get drugs to beat tests. A couple of things: a) what if fighters
were allowed by the athletic commissions to use TRT or similar
treatments and get exempted for it? b) who’s to say that
there aren’t plenty of mark doctors out there willing to
help certain gyms out with what is needed? We’ve seen plenty
of mark doctors across various sports get busted for HGH or steroids
to help out certain athletes.
What
I think will be most interesting about Thursday’s meeting
is not what the outcome of Chael Sonnen’s suspension will
be but rather if the current debate on PED usage in MMA somehow
gets advanced (if there are new defenses being used or new techniques
revealed publicly that were once kept in the shadows). I have
low expectations about Thursday’s appeals hearing, but if
the hearings are going to serve any purpose then I think we may
hear some explanations that could progress the media debate as
to what is happening in the business for PED usage.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Charles
Oliveira
By Erik Engelhart
With 17 wins and no loss on MMA, Charles “Do Bronx’s”
Oliveira debuted on UFC in great style. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
brown belt got a submission over Darren Elkins in only 41 seconds.
From an underdog, Charles started to be noticed on his second
fight on UFC, which happened a month later, already on the main
card, against Efrain Escudero, and he got another impressive
submission. The next mission of the lightweight is to fight Jim
Miller, who is coming from a sequence of five wins, on a fight
scheduled for December 11th. The performance of the fighter has
been pleased so much that it’ll be his third fight in less
than four months and TATAME talked with the guy about many subjects.
The guy of only 21 years old talked about his career, told us
the first thing he’s bought when he earned the US$40 thousand
bonus for the best submission of the night, commented his dream
of fighting BJ Penn among many other subjects which you can check
below.
You appeared to the world on Predador’s GP. How was it like?
So, on Predador the division was 170lbs, and I weighted 158,7lbs
wearing jeans, sneakers and a coat. Thanks God I did three great
fights. I’ve beaten guys who had 15 wins, like Lima Braga,
Jackson Pontes, and I had just turned 18, I had just have my
debut and I didn’t really know what MMA was. I went there
without knowing much about it and there were great guys, but
I managed to do my job, use my JIu-Jitsu thanks God. I’ve
won three fights, in great style.
Of course you go there trusting yourself… But, back at that
time, did you think the outcome would be as good as it was?
No, it’d never guess, I told my coach I didn’t know
I could win three fights. We’ve talked a lot and we knew
that I didn’t exchanged well, I really didn’t know
how to do it. I’ve never trained MMA. I only knew my Jiu-Jitsu
was better than any guy in there. My team told me and I’ve
believed them. They said to me: “your Jiu-Jitsu is the best
in the world. If you take the guys down, you’ll win”.
And it turned out to be true. On my first fight, when he came,
I kept spinning around, hoping to find some space to take him
down. I got him on a rear naked choke. On my second fight, I
was so surprised because I knocked the guy out, and on t he finals
I confronted Diego Braga, and I submitted him too. I did pretty
good job. In my mind, I didn’t hope for it. In my mind,
I knew I could do a good presentation, but not winning.
I’ve met you on Eagle Fight, in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo, and
I was impressed with your exchange, and then I’ve found
out you are a Jiu-Jitsu guy. Do you practice Muay Thai for how
long?
Man, I’ve started to train MMA when I turned 18.
Since then it was just Jiu-Jitsu?
Only Jiu-Jitsu… After my first fight on Predador, I’ve
started training MMA, which is a mix of everything. I’ve
never trained Muay Thai separately, I’ve never done a Boxing
training… I only do Jiu-Jitsu trainings apart from the others.
I’ve always done a mix of all arts. Right after people started
to know me, they kept saying: “Charles do Bronx’s only
knows how to submit, he only knows Jiu-Jitsu”, and I couldn’t
get that off my mind, I knew I had to learn new things. That
was a positive thing for me, because when I trained with the
guys, they knew much more about it than me, and I didn’t
take them down, I stood there, being hit because it’s when
you is hit that you learn. Back then, Macaco still was here in
Brazil and we came here to Sao Paulo’s main gym and I used
to train with the best guys in Brazil at that time, the best
team of the world. I was training like a desperate man, training
on a gym with great guys and then I’ve started to learn
how to exchange.
At what point in your career you started thinking you’d
be ready for any challenge?
I think in all my fights. Each fight I did, I kept learning more.
Yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine, and we were saying
that when the guy wins, he thinks he’s doing fine in the
game. Not me. On my first time, I fought for 41 seconds on UFC,
and I’ve watched those 41 seconds like a hundred times.
I’ve exchanged he wanted to take me down and I tried to
submit him from that position. I’ve watched this fight all
over again, and I enjoy learning, to see what I’ve done
wrong and what I’ve done right, to know what I should do.
When a guy teaches me something, I want to learn it, really learn
it and take the best lesson from it I can, and I think that’s
it.
Even having trained a lot, were you anxious for you debut on
UFC?
We always get there trained. On the first fight I fought on a
ring, I was pretty tense, my family knows it, they were speaking
to me on the phone and they could tell I was tense. But on UFC
I was at ease, it was a dream for me, I knew that was the thing
I’ve wanted to do. If I was focuses, if I was in a good
state of mind, I could do a great fight…
You’ll have to face much tougher guys, like you did on your
second fight, against Efrain Escudero, a guy who came directly
from TUF…
The guy belonged to Minotauro’s team, he joined Ultimate’s
cast and did great fights, he’s a good name. I’ve won
a fight in 41 seconds and they’ve put me against a tough
guy. I’ve always wanted to fight the bests. If I’ll
win, I want to beat the bests, I can’t pick who I’ll
confront… I’ll fight whoever they ask me to. I did
a great fight. His game is about coming forwards and backwards,
and I didn’t want to play it, so I started playing my own
game to that I could test myself, knowing I’d had to manage
to handle the three rounds because I had a good conditioning.
He hit you with an illegal knee, it was hard on you and he started
trying to bring the fans to his side…
On the lock room, me, Ericson and Macaco were talking, saying
that, in most of his fights, he hits the guy’s private parts,
and I knew it could disturb me. My kick, I’m sure it didn’t
catch him, but I apologized immediately. You can watch the video,
you can see I didn’t hurt him, his chill slipped. When I
kicked him, I cut my feet, I concentrated so I wouldn’t
lose my mind. Macaco told me to take it easy, Ericson also told
me to stay calm, and when I came back, I kept playing the game
I was playing. I was winning the two first rounds, but I knew
I had to knock him out or submit him, because I can’t leave
it to the Americans to decide.
And about the takedowns?
I was training hard my exchange and I left this aside, so I think
that, for my next fight, I’ll have to train more this part.
On Escudero’s fight I wanted to show I could trade punches
with him so people know I don’t only know Jiu-Jitsu. I took
him down once on the second round and one on the third, but now
I want to bring a new show, I want to be more aggressive…
I want to be more and more aggressive on the octagon.
What do you think it’s the best way to beat Miller?
Man, Miller is a guy known for being the best Jiu-Jitsu guy,
but I don’t think so. I think he’s a complete guy,
who can play standing up or on the floor. From my part, I want
him to come forwards on the first round because I know he’ll
come hungry for me and, in my fights, no one has done it to me.
I think he’ll try to risk it all, he’ll try to knock
me out or submit me. I think he’ll try to take me down,
but I’m not afraid of going to the floor. My Jiu-Jitsu is
as good as it always was, so I don’t think it’ll be
any different than it was in Brazil. I’ll work the ground
game taking one step at a time, but always moving forwards. On
the second round, I have to be more aggressive, exchange with
him, take him down. But that’s just what I’m saying
here, when you get there you can never know. He can make a mistake,
he might want to only exchange, or only take me down. I think
it’ll be a fight between two warriors, and I think he’s
more likely to win the belt because he has more wins than I do.
He wants to make some space for himself, but I also want to make
a statement.
Your professional record, on the website Sherdog, isn’t
right. Which is your currently professional record?
Now I have a professional record of 17 wins and no losses. It’s
wrong on Sherdog, I’m trying to fix it…
And about KOs and submissions?
Man, I think there’re eight submissions, seven KOs and one
decision…
Do you think this fight might take you to another level, on the
journey for the title?
In my life, in my career, I’ve always wanted to take one
step at a time, not only when it comes to Jiu-Jitsu and MMA,
but in all aspects. I don’t want to jump to a level I’m
not prepared for yet, I’m not in a hurry and it won’t
be any different, it’ll take it slowly. It’s the same
I’ve told my coaches: “guys, I don’t pick fights”.
I’m sure that if I beat him, I can climb one more step on
the stair of UFC and I leave it for them to decide who will and
who won’t have a title shot.
How do you see this weight class currently, with Frankie Edgar
as the belt holder?
Man, Frankie Edgar deserves everything he’s got, but I think
that ‘the’ big name of the division is BJ Penn. BJ
is the guy. On his fight, he proved the world that, when he’s
into it, when he wants… I think he beat every opponent he
had for too many time, he remained unbeaten for a long time and
it destabilized the guy. It’s good to lose. Congratulations
to Frankie Edgar, but I think BJ wasn’t at his best, on
his timing. This fight he proved it to the world. I think he
owns the division.
If you have to face him, how will it be?
That’s my dream. When I saw Frankie Edgar, I thought I’d
had to fight him, if it was for the belt, I’d do it, but
I’d be an honor to me fighting BJ, independently of the
outcome. I’d like to use my game to fight him because he’s
the guy, he’s the guy of this division. I cheered for him.
If he comes back in that style, he’ll rule this division.
You’re a guy with humble origins, and now you make a lot
of money on UFC. How do you do to keep your feet on the ground?
First of all, I think my family comes first, it’s the foundation
of everything, I have a girlfriend… I never went to a nightclub
in my life, I’ve never smoked, did drugs or drank. I think
that here in Brazil guys always did it, these are things everybody
knows that happens. These things aren’t for me. A truth
athlete doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t
go to nightclubs. I have my fun... I go out with my girlfriend,
we go to the beach, we call our family and go to a farm of a
friend of mine. When I won my first fight, I’ve earned US$40
thousand. Do you know what was the first thing I’ve bought?
A little remote control car on the United Stated. I’ve never
had one... Yesterday I was back home and I was flying a kite
with the boys there, we’ve bought row and went flying kites…
I
like two streets from the slum, I know everybody. Despite of
what I’ve earned, with all the money I have, I got that
money and fixed things at home, gave the best things to my mom.
Today, thanks God, I can give my mom and dad what they have given
me. Now I’m focused, I’ve never had that kid spirit.
We go to UFC and the guys ask to take a photo with me and I go
there and take a picture with them… There’re guys who
say they can’t. I think it’s bullshit. You have to
be humble. Sometimes, I make a mistake, and then my mom comes
to me and say: “Charles, be careful. You forgot this”.
Sometimes it’s hard because people start to think you’re
snobbish and you’re not.
Source: Tatame
|
Moving
Past Serious Depression, Jeff Curran Regains Focus
By Ray
Hui
Jeff Curran entered 2010 on a path back into the WEC, but it
didn't work out as he hoped.
While he waited for the organization to give him a specific date,
Curran ended up taking a fight for Bellator in April, because
he needed the extra money. Curran surprisingly lost the bout,
eliminating any shot he had at one of his biggest goals for the
year.
"[Fighting]
is my only way of making a living," Curran said Monday on
The MMA Hour. "I don't survive off my school. I actually
support the school off of my fighting, so I had to stay busy
and tried to do something ... and when we looked at the original
matchup it was a great matchup."
What
seemed like a great idea at first developed into something questionable
at best when his opponent would change at the last minute and
worse, Curran fell into a deep depression.
"I
decided to leave my wife and put her through a bunch of back-and-forth
and it was going on for the past ten months at that point and
maybe past 12 months and I was just feeling really down on myself,"
he said. "I was seeing counselors, I wasn't getting any
solid answers from the WEC. I was just really mixed up. Sometimes
you just get lost and it's hard to find your way back, you know.
Financial trouble, you name it, everything."
With
his spirit down over the sadness he put his wife and sons through,
Curran booked seminars away from home in order to "get away."
The excursions would draw attention to his need to determine
what he values most in life.
"My
wife had given me a schedule of when I could see my boys,"
the 33-year-old Curran said. "This day, and this weekend
and so on. And I overlapped my schedule with the one she gave
me with the next two to three months that I was going to travel
and I was going to see them like four times the next two to three
months and when I saw that I took a step back and said, 'Man,
what are you doing? Your priorities are all mixed up.'"
Curran
then decided to focus on his family and noticed his situation
in life improved. His cousin Pat won the Bellator Lightweight
Tournament; Curran welcomed new prospects to his gym and business
picked up again at his school affording him the opportunity to
expand.
Curran
also benefited from counseling to address mental health concerns.
"I
went through a counselor -- I went through a therapist that --
I saw her three times and she talked to me for the first time
for about two hours and she hear my story and man, she made things
make real sense to me and I just refocused and got serious."
Moving
past this difficult year, Curran considers the present time the
height of his spiritual wellness and he'll look to get back on
track when he headlines XFO 37 this Saturday against David Lowe
in Lakemoor, Ill.
"The
last year of my life has been pretty screwed up," Curran
said. "My family life, my personal life. I made a lot of
bad choices that I've been clearing up and now I'm basically
in a really good position."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
TV
deal or not, Dynamite event still on (and why there’s fear
about K-1 collapsing)
By Zach
Arnold
The
public feeling of sadness and bitterness for K-1’s current
financial situation compared to the collapse of PRIDE may sound
the same but it really isn’t.
When
PRIDE collapsed in 2007, the promotion attempted to stay bold
and put on large-scale shows that appealed to the masses. In
the end, it was a ploy to try to get the highest bidder —
which turned out to be Zuffa. Nevertheless, there was a great
sense of despair and sadness about the promotion’s demise
despite the circumstances that led to its downfall. It died with
a passionate fan base still remaining. The same cannot be said
about K-1.
With
there being an impasse between Tokyo Broadcasting System and
K-1 over what to do with Dynamite on New Year’s Eve, the
bitterness that fans are tasting has nothing to do with an emotional
connection for K-1 as a product. This time around, the sadness
is all about the fact that MMA may not make it again onto a major
broadcast network in Japan for a long, long time (if ever again).
The great fear is that MMA will go back to being a niche sport
and suffer the same fate that professional wrestling did last
decade. The great irony in all of this is that it was the MMA
monster that severely damaged pro-wrestling. With network executives
willing to back MMA, pro-wrestling lost whatever television support
it had left. Despite being relatively cheap programming in terms
of rights fees, Nippon TV dropped NOAH from the late-night network
line-up and NOAH has never been the same in terms of popularity.
New Japan is still hanging on to their late night TV slot on
TV-Asahi because the company is owned by Yukes. Yukes can be
both an owner and a sponsor at once. It has saved the promotion
from the electric chair.
Currently,
the situation right now for Dynamite appears to be on course
for a ‘no TV’ show. In other words, it may air on HDNet
and on SkyPerfecTV PPV, but perhaps not on broadcast television.
The whole point of the New Year’s Eve concept when it was
developed and crafted by K-1, DSE, and Antonio Inoki was to stage
an assault on NHK’s Kohaku (Red & White Music Festival
show) and demonstrate the strength and appeal of the fight game.
It worked. Despite finishing second or third at times, the NYE
shows demonstrated an erosion in viewership for NHK’s programming.
A
decade later, K-1 is in bad shape. They have to put all of their
eggs essentially in the Fuji TV basket and hope that their 12/11
Ariake Colosseum show in Tokyo does well for a TV rating. If
it does not draw a good rating, then the promotion will be faced
with less than three weeks to promote an event at Saitama Super
Arena without heavy television money to pay big names for fights
that people want to see. Then again, that quandary has plagued
K-1 since the collapse of PRIDE — they haven’t been
able to develop the kind of Japanese aces that the general public
cares about.
Understand
that for many of Kazuyoshi Ishii’s enemies, there is a mixed
feeling right now about K-1’s demise. Negative because K-1
losing network support means that nobody else will be able to
break in for a while. This includes UFC. If a Japanese network
won’t support K-1, they sure won’t support a non-Japanese
flavored product like UFC. Happy, however, because the Godfather
has ran over a lot of people and did what he had to do in order
to survive.
The
belief amongst some of Ishii’s old enemies and people who
have had negative feelings about doing business with him is that
it will take a long time for the damage to dissipate but that
eventually a new generation of promoters with more reputable
backgrounds will come into the fold.
(For
American sports fans, an example to think of: college university
programs that have gotten the death penalty or close to it, like
Miami or Baylor.)
Personally,
I wish I could be that positive. However, history tells us that
there isn’t a lot of reason to be positive when a major
promotion collapses. When WCW collapsed in America, WWE never
was able to replace or gain that audience. When PRIDE collapse,
K-1 was not able to gain the trust of that fan base. They just
faded away. Sure, there will promoters who will try to fill the
void should K-1 collapse, but it simply will not be the same.
It will certainly have a negative impact on agents and fighters
looking for bookings outside of the Zuffa world.
¦Paradise
Lost: FEG, DREAM, K-1 and Dynamite’s Dying Love Story
I’m just starting to see some real talk about New Year’s
Eve programming plans for the major broadcast networks in the
Japanese media wires today. As I alluded to earlier in the week,
this week is one of the most critical weeks in the history of
K-1 for their survival and for the survival of the Dynamite show
at Saitama Super Arena. Either the deal with TBS gets done soon
or it doesn’t get done at all. They’re already way
too late in the game here.
As
for how K-1’s PR machine is handling the situation, all
hands are on deck to promote the Ariake Colosseum event. They
are all-in right now. Mr. Tanigawa will appear on Samurai TV
to do some PR soon. I was also told by one source that K-1 plans
on having the Dynamite show (TV deal or not) and that matchmaking
will start after the 12/11 Tokyo show takes place. The period
of time compression will be unbelievably stressful.
Regarding
Mr. Ishii, he penned a column today that has nothing to do with
K-1 but is quite… unique.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
TUF
12 Finale Fight Card Today
The Pearl at the Palms, Las Vegas, Nevada
December 4, 2010
Hawaii Air Time:
7:00 - 10:00PM Spike TV (Channel 559)
Dark
matches
Lightweights:
Sako Chivitchian vs. Kyle Watson
Lightweights: Cody McKenzie vs. Aaron Wilkinson
Featherweights: Tyler Toner vs. Ian Loveland
Middleweights: Rich Attonito vs. Dave Branch
Featherweights: Fredson Paixao vs. Pablo Garza
Bantamweights: Will Campuzano vs. Nick Pace
Main
card
Featherweights:
Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia
Welterweights: Johny Hendricks vs. Rick Story
Middleweights: Kendall Grove vs. Demian Maia
Light Heavyweights: Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac
TUF 12 Finals (Lightweights): Jonathan Brookins vs. Michael Johnson
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Strikeforce
Henderson vs. Babalu 2 Preview and Predictions
By Michael
David Smith
After seven months off, Dan Henderson is finally stepping back
into the cage on Saturday night, hoping to earn his first victory
in Strikeforce and first anywhere since knocking out Michael
Bisping at UFC 100. Henderson will have a tough test against
Renato "Babalu" Sobral in what should be an entertaining
main event in Strikeforce's final card of 2010.
What:
Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu 2
Where:
Scottrade Center, St. Louis
When:
Saturday, the Showtime broadcast begins at 10 PM ET.
Predictions
on the four televised fights below.
Dan
Henderson vs. Renato Sobral
Henderson beat Babalu 10 years ago in the final of the Rings
King of Kings tournament, in what was one of the most significant
fights mixed martial arts had seen to that point. Henderson,
Babalu and the sport of MMA have all changed so much since then
that I don't think there's much we can take from their previous
meeting, though.
What
I do think we can expect is Henderson to come out swinging, just
as he did in his April loss to Jake Shields. But whereas Henderson
gassed out early against Shields, and was dominated for the bulk
of their five-round fight, I think we'll see a better Henderson
at 205 pounds, and cardio will be less of a factor in a three-round
fight. I like Henderson to get the better of the striking exchanges
early in the fight, then use his wrestling to control Babalu
on the ground and win a fairly one-sided decision.
Pick: Henderson
Robbie
Lawler vs. Matt Lindland
Lindland is a lot like Henderson: He was one of the sport's truly
elite fighters when he was at his best, but he's now 40 years
old and past his prime. But while Henderson is "past his
prime" like an NFL running back who has lost a step but
can still be effective, Lindland is past his prime like a guy
who just got cut by a UFL team. Strikeforce gave Lindland a gimme
win against a guy with a career 3-2 record in May, but against
a seasoned veteran like Lawler it's hard to see Lindland lasting
long.
Pick: Lawler
Paul
Daley vs. Scott Smith
Daley and Smith are both limited fighters who hit hard but can't
do much else -- but from Strikeforce's perspective that may be
a good thing, as this fight was booked more to give the fans
some fireworks than to give them a well-rounded MMA display.
I'll go with Daley to land a couple of hard shots to Smith's
head to knock him down, then finish things off with a few more
hard shots on the ground.
Pick: Daley
Antonio
Silva vs. Mike Kyle
Kyle took this fight on five days' notice after Valentijn Overeem
dropped out of his scheduled bout with Silva, and in my book
that makes this event better: Kyle has a better shot of upsetting
Silva than Overeem did. But even if it's a better shot, it's
still a long shot, and the most likely result is that Silva wins
a TKO.
Pick: Silva
Ovince
St. Preux vs. Benji Radach
This fight was booked on even shorter notice than Silva-Kyle,
with Strikeforce confirming the bout just four days before fight
night. But as far as last-minute match-making goes, this is pretty
good: St. Preux is coming off his biggest win to date, against
Antwain Britt on the most recent Strikeforce Challengers show,
while Radach is a good veteran who's had some hard times lately,
with injuries keeping him out of the cage for more than a year
and a half. I don't know what kind of shape Radach is in and
how much ring rust he'll have, but if he's close to 100 percent,
I think he has too much of an offensive arsenal for the relatively
inexperienced St. Preux to handle.
Pick: Radach
Source: MMA Fighting
|
BJ’s
knockout only surprised those who don’t know “why he
fights”
by Marcelo
Dunlop
BJ
knocked out Hughes in 21 seconds at UFC 123 in novembro.
The stunning knockout of old rival Matt Hughes coupled with the
uncontrolled and boyish celebrations by BJ Penn may have surprised
those who felt the former lightweight champion had lost his will
to fight MMA.
They
were wrong. But only those who hadn’t flipped through BJ’s
excellent biography – a must-read for MMA and Jiu-Jitsu
fans alike – could have doubted him. In the book “Why
I Fight,” the Hawaiian black belt explains how his consciousness
as a fighter was forged starting with his early Jiu-Jitsu training,
during his years at Ralph Gracie’s academy in San Jose,
California, and how all of a sudden he found himself in an underground
MMA event in California. After swiftly putting away his opponent
with a rear-naked choke, he purported: “It was the greatest
feeling of my life.”
Check
out some excerpts from the part of the book where BJ was still
a blue belt hooked on Jiu-Jitsu.
At
the start of the book, BJ was a a teenager when he decided to
dedicate himself to training Jiu-Jitsu and headed for California
in early summer of 1997. During his first month of training he
had the opportunity to roll with the UFC’s big star at the
time, Frank Shamrock, who at first he didn’t recognize.
On
his first championship, while still a white belt, he recounts:
“When
the announcer called out my name, I was as nervous as I’d
ever been and I almost started crying. Here I was in some gymnasium
in front of an audience waiting to see me perform. Unlike soccer,
where you went onto the field in front of all these people you
knew, as part of a team, I was now entering this thing alone.
It felt like the eyes of the world were focused on me. I walked
out to the mat, and I didn’t know what to do, so I just
did what felt right to me.
“Luckily
everything came to me quickly and naturally. I won my own weight
class rather easily, and even won the open division, despite
fighting a guy who was about 220 pounds to my 135.
I
flying triangled him for the submission. (…) When the competition
was over it felt as good as anything I had ever done in my life.”
BJ
also speaks of training with Ralph, when sometimes he would get
beat up, but how that was what taught him that he could really
get good some day. It was there that BJ started training his
standup and seeing how he really knew how to handle himself.
But his focus was Jiu-Jitsu.
“For
this one (the Joe Moreira) I would be fighting in the blue belt
division even though I had yet to earn my blue. (…) This
was something Ralph had been known to do to students: put them
in a tougher division to see how they performed. It would either
humble them or give them a chance to excel.”
On
an adamant suggestion from Ralph, BJ made his MMA debut against
a kickboxer.
“California
legalized MMA in December 2005, and here I was sometime around
1997, fighting in some gymnasium while wearing a pair of tight
little black Speedostyle shorts, up against a kickboxer in a
pair of long black karate pants who had to be at least twenty
pounds heavier than me and quite a few inches taller. But whatever,
a fight’s a fight.”
BJ
then recounts his conversation with another athlete fighting
that night, Dave Terrell, a Cesar Gracie student who would later
go on to figure in the UFC.
“We
talked for a minute and then I told him, ‘I’m really
nervous about this. I had a hard time sleeping last night.’
“Terrell,
who was looking down at the floor, picked up his head and in
all seriousness said, ‘Hard time sleeping? I haven’t
slept in three weeks!’”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
It’s
All Team GSP: Michael Johnson vs. Jonathan Brookins in TUF 12
Final
by Ken
Pishna
“The Ultimate Fighter Season 12” finalists were determined
Wednesday night and it’s going to be an all Team GSP finish.
Michael
Johnson (8-4) and Jonathan Brookins (11-3) will square off in
the finale on Saturday night at the Pearl at the Palms Casino
Resort in Las Vegas.
Johnson
was the first selection for UFC welterweight champion Georges
St-Pierre’s team. He fought his way into the final by defeating
Pablo Garza, Aaron Wilkinson, and Alex “Bruce Leeroy”
Caceres during the season. Johnson took the final step into the
finals with a split decision victory over Nam Phan.
With
Johnson being St-Pierre’s first choice, it would only be
appropriate that Brookins, St-Pierre’s second pick, would
be the fighter to face Johnson in the finals. Brookins made his
way to the finals by winning a unanimous decision over Kyle Watson
in the semifinals after defeating Ran Weather, Sevak Magakian,
and Sako Chivitchian earlier in the season.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
10
December Tussles Worth Watching
by Tim
Leidecker
Fighters
are always given advice by their corners in the dying seconds
of every round: finish strong. MMA fans can expect a strong finish
in the final month of 2010.
From
the Strikeforce show on Saturday to UFC 124 in Montreal on Dec.
11 and the traditionally star-studded Japanese New Year’s
Eve events, fight sport fanciers are in for a treat this December.
In addition, the regional circuits will feature plenty of exciting
matchups. From Brazil to Russia, from Costa Rica to Northern
Ireland, it appears as though promotions around the world have
saved their best for last.
Below
follows this month’s rundown of hidden gems.
As
always, the list does not focus on the well-promoted main event
bouts you already know to watch, but rather on fights from all
over the planet that are worth seeing. The UFC, Strikeforce,
Dream and Sengoku Raiden Championship are excluded by design.
Mika
Nagano vs. Seo Hee Ham
Jewels “Eleventh Ring,” Dec. 17 -- Tokyo
In
this month’s featured women’s fight, Nagano -- the
2009 Rough Stone junior flyweight grand prix winner and famous
amateur stripper -- takes on Ham, a hard-hitting Korean, in a
classic striker-versus-grappler encounter. Nagano, a former amateur
wrestling champion, has feuded with Norway’s Celine Haga
in 2010, splitting a pair of bouts with the Joachim Hansen protégé.
Ham, dubbed “Hamderlei Silva” because of her reckless
stand-up style, has an undefeated professional kickboxing record
and holds a win over former Deep champion Hisae Watanabe.
Jeff
Curran vs. Travis Marx
Nemesis Fighting “MMA Global Invasion,” Dec. 10 --
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Originally
scheduled for Nov. 13, the postponement of this event due to
Tropical Storm Tomas means Curran will fight twice in nine days.
First, he takes on Bodog Fight veteran David Love under the Xtreme
Fighting Organization banner on Dec. 4 in Lakemoor, Ill. Then,
the former WEC featherweight title contender will depart for
the eastern shores of the Dominican Republic to square off with
Marx, a Jeremy Horn protégé, at “MMA Global
Invasion.”
Mairbek
Taisumov vs. Ivica Truscek
GCF “Judgment Day,” Dec. 5 -- Prague, Czech Republic
In
the main event of Gladiator Championship Fighting’s inaugural
show, a finalist from this year’s M-1 Selection Eastern
European tournament, Taisumov, will take on Truscek, a fellow
M-1 veteran. “Beckan” holds significant wins over experienced
Finn Jarkko Latomaki, Polish wrestler Borys Mankowski and previously
undefeated Frenchman Julien Boussuge.
Meanwhile
Truscek is coming off a trio of technical knockout victories.
The show will take place at the brand new, 3,000-seat Sparta
Arena in the country’s capital.
Simeon
Thoresen vs. Vaidas Valancius
Cage Wars “Validation,” Dec. 10 -- Belfast, Northern
Ireland
The
marquee matchup on the first Cage Wars show of 2010 pits the
pride of Norwegian MMA, Thoresen, against Valancius, a once-beaten
Lithuanian. “The Grin” is patiently waiting for his
shot at the major leagues. The 26-year-old training partner of
Joachim Hansen has lost just once in his young career -- a close
decision defeat at the hands of Japanese veteran Eiji Ishikawa
in 2008. However, Valancius, a well-rounded Titanas fighter,
does not plan on becoming a stepping stone for Thoresen. His
only defeat came to Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Igor Araujo.
Chris
Barnett vs. Mario Rinaldi
XFC 13 “Unstoppable,” Dec. 3 -- Tampa, Fla.
Two
of the best heavyweights in the Sunshine State go to war in the
co-headliner of the latest offering from Xtreme Fighting Championships,
the regional powerhouse promotion based in Florida. “Beast
Boy” Barnett is as agile as they come for someone with a
5-foot-9, 260-pound frame. The 24-year-old fan favorite will
face the toughest task of his young career, as he takes on American
Top Team’s Rinaldi. “Big Hurt” is a 2007 Abu Dhabi
Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships quarter-finalist
and holds a recent win over former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco
Rodriguez.
Yuki
Kondo vs. Rikuhei Fujii
Pancrase “Passion Tour 11,” Dec. 5 -- Tokyo
Making
the second defense of his middleweight King of Pancrase crown,
Kondo will make his 66th appearance for the promotion to which
he has remained faithful since making his debut in January 1996.
If there ever was a lifetime achievement award for loyalty, Pancrase
should bestow it upon Kondo. On Dec. 5, he squares off against
Fujii, a man nine years his junior, in a rematch of their September
bout under the Cage Force banner. There, Fujii beat Kondo on
points. This time, he draws the champion in a ring, with a title
on the line.
Alejandro
Solano Rodriguez vs. John Gunderson
XVT 5 “Franca vs. Kheder,” Dec. 19 -- Cartago, Costa
Rica
Costa
Rica’s own Rodriguez has become a bit of a celebrity in
South American MMA circles during the past 18 months. The 32-year-old
knockout artist first won an eight-man, single-night tournament
in June 2009 and then scored a major upset over former Chute
Boxe Academy jiu-jitsu coach and Pride Fighting Championships
veteran Cristiano Marcello at Bitetti Combat 7 in May. Wasting
no time, domestic promotion Xtreme Vale Todo has pitted “Mandarina”
against Shawn Tompkins-trained UFC veteran John Gunderson for
his stiffest test to date.
Abner
Lloveras vs. Shamil Zavurov
M-1 Challenge 22, Dec. 10 -- Moscow
A
year of fighting on the M-1 Challenge circuit will culminate
in three title fights on Dec. 10. In the welterweight division,
Western Europe champion Lloveras, of Spain, takes on Eastern
Europe tournament winner Zavurov, of Russia. Lloveras is a purple
belt under well-regarded Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Rafael
Haubert and has prepared with Daniel Tabera and the rest of the
S.H.O.O.T Spain team in Valencia for this challenge. Zavurov
will enjoy home-field advantage and has never been finished in
his seven-year MMA career.
Glover
Teixeira vs. Daniel Tabera
Bitetti Combat 8, Dec. 4 -- Sao Paulo, Brazil
Teixeira
suffers from the same affliction as his countrymen, Bruno Carvalho
and Vitor Vianna. He has legitimate skills but little name recognition.
As a result, he finds it hard to secure opponents. Teixeira remains
best known as Chuck Liddell’s jiu-jitsu coach and the first
man to knock out Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. At Bitetti Combat’s
last offering, Tabera had to fill in for Dutchman Hans Stringer
on a week’s notice. He recently reached the final of KSW’s
light heavyweight tournament in Poland.
Jussier
da Silva vs. Danny Martinez
TPF 7 “Deck the Halls,” Dec. 2 -- Lemoore, Calif.
The
heartbreaking plea for financial support flyweight king da Silva
started this summer should be fresh in the minds of everyone
who follows the career of the young Brazilian standout. California-based
promotion Tachi Palace Fights has answered the call and signed
“Formiga” to a four-fight contract. The former Shooto
South American champion will be welcomed in his United States
debut by Martinez, a WEC veteran. The Arizonan will drop down
not one but two weight classes to try to hand da Silva his first
defeat.
Source: Sherdog
|
As
Chael Sonnen Prepares for Steroids Hearing, More Details Emerge
By Mike
Chiappetta
In the months leading up to his UFC 117 title challenge, Chael
Sonnen had plenty to say. Sonnen seemed to be everywhere, talking
up his potential to dethrone champion Anderson Silva in a middleweight
championship match. More than 20 minutes into the fight, he was
making good on his pre-fight boasting, seemingly on his way to
a career-defining victory when Silva caught him with a fifth-round
triangle/arm bar submission.
In
the months since, Sonnen has had almost nothing to say publicly,
his silence precipitated by a positive drug test in the days
after the fight.
On
Thursday in Sacramento, Calif., Sonnen will have his chance to
defend himself from a California state athletic commission (CSAC)
finding that he illegally used performance-enhancing steroids
prior to the bout.
Over
100 pages of documents recently released by the CSAC give a clearer
picture of the commission's contention that Sonnen cheated.
According
to the documents, on Aug. 6 -- the day of his drug test -- Sonnen
admitted to event supervisor Frank Munoz that he had taken testosterone
as recently as the day before. In fact, Sonnen listed the substance
on a section of the urine sample form in which the party to be
tested is asked to divulge any medications or substances he has
taken in recent days, including vitamins or minerals.
On
the forms, the 33-year-old Sonnen listed "1 shot" of
testosterone, which he stated he took on Aug. 5, just two days
before his title match with Silva.
On
a separate page, he also listed ingestion of 6 Advils, 1 tablet
of Vitamin C, 1 tablet of Iron, 1 "Multivitamine" [sic]
and 1 "Asprin" [sic] as substances he had taken in
the preceding three days. Sonnen signed the forms under penalty
of perjury. The next day, he went on to lose his title match
in heartbreaking fashion.
According
to CSAC time lines, Sonnen's urine sample was sent to the UCLA
Olympic Analytical Laboratory, received on Aug. 10 and testing
procedures began on Aug. 13.
On
Sept. 2, the lab informed the CSAC that Sonnen's testosterone
to epitestosterone ratio (T/E) tested at 16.9. Though testosterone
is naturally occurring in the human body, that number is well
above the T/E threshold ratio of 4.0. A follow-up carbon isotope
analysis was conducted on Sept. 7, with the finding that the
test results were consistent with the administration of a steroid.
The lab subsequently sent the CSAC 66 pages of documentation
with the intent of scientifically supporting their findings,
establishing chain of custody of the specimen and proving the
sample's integrity was maintained throughout the process.
On
Sept. 16, Sonnen was sent notice of his results, suspended one
year and fined $2,500. That penalty effectively knocked him out
of a planned rematch with Silva.
Sonnen
has retained well-known attorney Howard Jacobs to represent him
in his appeal. Jacobs has represented many athletes fighting
doping claims, including Olympian Marion Jones, cycling champion
Floyd Landis and MMA fighters Sean Sherk and Antonio "Bigfoot"
Silva.
It
is unknown how Jacobs and Sonnen will defend the lab's findings,
and in correspondence from California supervising deputy attorney
general Karen Chappelle to Jacobs, she notes that Sonnen signed
a declaration that he had taken a shot of testosterone, writing,
"presumably you would not be challenging this specific finding."
Messages from MMA Fighting seeking comment from Jacobs went unreturned.
There
has been a suggestion in the media that Sonnen would claim testosterone
replacement therapy (TRT) usage as a defense. TRT is a legitimate
medical procedure when prescribed by a doctor in which testosterone
shots are taken to address a deficiency. Though no one from his
team has addressed the possibility, it is worth noting that Sonnen's
management mentioned that he was consulting with his physicians
in addition to his legal team in a statement made to MMA Fighting
regarding his appeal process.
TRT
is allowed under CSAC rules but requires necessary documentation
from a physician and must be cleared by the commission well prior
to a fight. Dodd has said that Sonnen never asked for an exemption
for TRT, and Nevada state athletic commission executive director
Keith Kizer recently told MMA Fighting that Sonnen has never
asked for a testosterone exemption in Nevada, where he's had
two of his last four fights, including the most recent one prior
to facing Silva. In addition, fighters must still test under
the T/E threshold ratio of 4.0.
Sonnen's
appeal is agenda item No. 10 on a list of 15 items the CSAC is
set to discuss, though the commission reserves the right to change
the order of business.
If
he is unsuccessful in his appeal, his suspension could run until
Sept. 2, 2011.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Rick
Story - Winning is a Habit
Thomas
Gerbasi
“This fight’s do or die for me. I look at this fight
as either the start of my career or the end of my career. I don’t
care who I fight after this; I’m just focusing on this fight.”
It was 3 o’clock in the back of the schoolyard type of stuff,
and Dustin Hazelett didn’t have a chance. Taking the sporting
aspect out of the equation, Rick Story showed up to the Oracle
Arena in Oakland, California on August 7th with the intention
of fighting Hazelett, and after stopping the groundfighting ace
in less than two rounds, mission accomplished.
“I
wasn’t as focused on what he was thinking,” said Story.
“I was more focused on what I was gonna do; I wanted to
go out and put a beating on him real quick and let him know that
he was gonna be in a fight.”
Fighting
Story was the worst possible scenario for Hazelett following
his knockout loss to Paul Daley seven months earlier, as the
Washington native came to the Octagon with a fury that isn’t
always a given in the modern incarnation of the sport. It’s
an attitude he takes from an old school icon – Wanderlei
Silva.
“It
doesn’t matter who he fights, where he fights, or when he
fights,” said Story of ‘The Axe Murderer.’ “He
comes out and he’s trying to get the guy the whole time.
And he has one of the best highlight reels out there. When people
want to be a certain fighter, a lot of guys who are fighters
want to fight like Wanderlei because he goes out and puts it
all on the line.”
Story
is building his own rep as that type of fighter, with the wins
over Hazelett and Brian Foster prime examples of what the 26-year
old welterweight prospect brings to the table. The Hazelett fight
was a key one, mainly because it put his three fight winning
streak on the line against an opponent who could end the fight
at any time with his submission game. But once Story nullified
Hazelett’s first attempt at a sub, he knew it was game over.
“After
his first submission attempt, I defended it and I knew it was
in the bag,” he said. “Every time he got up, he was
getting up slower and slower and I could just see his will to
fight die out.”
And
it wasn’t just failed submission attempts and flashy punches
to the grill that spelled Hazelett’s eventual demise, but
a ferocious body attack that’s rarely seen in combat sports
these days.
“Body
shots are really effective,” said Story. “I’ve
been hit with numerous body shots and it really takes a lot out
of you. If you plan on going three five minute rounds, getting
hit with those shots really take it out of your gas tank. I don’t
know why you don’t see a lot of it, but I have good boxing
coaches who have had the same experience and have fought long
fights, and they just say ‘work the body, work the body.’
And then once you work the body, then the hands will drop and
it will open the head up. And that was the gameplan going into
the Hazelett fight because he was skinnier and not as thick,
and usually on skinnier guys body shots really take a toll.”
The
victory made it four in a row for Story, who has quietly built
that streak following a decision loss to John Hathaway in his
Octagon debut back in June of 2009. And quietly is the key word,
as the soft-spoken welterweight isn’t one to beat his chest
and search out the closest camera for attention. He’s letting
his fists do the talking, but sometimes, that can make your road
up the ladder a little harder.
“I
feel like the smart people will notice what’s happening
with records and how fights are being finished, and they’ll
do the hype for me,” said Story, who has actually grown
into a level of comfort under the UFC’s bright lights, opting
to just be himself in and out of the Octagon.
“It
was difficult at first for me, just because I wasn’t used
to the interviews and having the cameras in my face,” he
said. “But the more it happens, the more comfortable I get,
and I realize that I just have to be myself. I don’t need
to put on an act or anything; I’ll just say what comes to
mind. At first when you do it you’re kinda awkward and you
don’t know the ropes or what to expect next, and once you’ve
done it a few times, it’s just like another thing.”
When
it comes to that part of the game, fighting is actually the easier
part, and Story has that part down after three years as a pro
that has seen him compile an 11-3 record with little in the way
of easy touches. Now it’s time to step up to the next level,
and that begins on Saturday night in Las Vegas against unbeaten
fellow prospect Johny Hendricks.
“Physically,
I’m there,” said Story. “It was just the mental
part and being able to impose my gameplan on people that I was
waiting for. Now I have that confidence and I’m ready for
the next level. Hendricks is on that level too, and I think that
we’re there, but we’re just undiscovered.”
Not
for long, as the two will be seen by millions on the nationally-televised
Ultimate Fighter 12 finale main card. It’s a big step for
both 170-pounders, but one that has the potential to end up in
a Fight of the Night-type battle.
“Hendricks
is a tough guy,” said Story. “He’s a very accomplished
wrestler, and he’s an accomplished mixed martial artist
too – he’s undefeated and he’s not used to losing,
but that can be to his own demise at the same time.”
How
so?
“Winning’s
a habit, it’s starting to become one for me, I train to
have it, and it’s a nice habit to have.”
In
other words, Story has gotten addicted to that feeling of having
his hand raised, and he’s not about to let it go without
forcing his opponent to dig deeper than he’s ever had to
dig before.
“He’s
gonna be in for a fight,” said Story, “and he’d
better be ready to fight.”
Given
Hendricks’ history thus far, and most notably his recent
TKO win over Charlie Brenneman on the same UFC 117 card as Story’s
win over Hazelett, that won’t be an issue. What may end
up being a problem for the former National wrestling champion
is that his willingness to stand and trade with his opponents
may play into Story’s hands.
“I
know he’s probably watching some of my fights and my abilities
and formulating a gameplan to best suit the fight for him, but
I think it’s gonna be a big hole in his game because once
he starts getting hit by me and starts trying to take me down
- which is what most wrestlers do when they start getting hit
– they get uncomfortable and go back to what they do best,”
said Story. “Then he’s gonna get hit again, and it’s
going to be a big scramble in his mind and technique goes out
the door.”
“That’s
where that winner’s habit comes into mind.”
Along
with embracing the habit of winning, Story has also developed
an attitude that this may very well be his last fight if he doesn’t
succeed.
“This
fight’s do or die for me,” he said. “I look at
this fight as either the start of my career or the end of my
career. I don’t care who I fight after this; I’m just
focusing on this fight.”
That
attitude means one thing – when the bell rings for Story,
he isn’t looking to play patty-cake with his opponent or
grind out a points win. He’s looking to fight, and he’s
trained with his Brave Legion team in Vancouver with that very
thought in his mind.
“You
see with some of the fighters, they go out there and look at
it as more of a competition,” he said. “But the really
exciting fighters are the ones that are going to really put some
damage on their opponents. And I think what plays into that is
a guy’s confidence in his ability and his conditioning.
If they’re in top physical shape where they can go as hard
as they can for three five minute rounds, they’re going
to have no problem making it a fight and going as hard as they
can until their opponent mentally breaks.”
Mouthpiece
in, hands up, chin down. Rick Story’s ready to fight.
Source: UFC
|
Boxing:
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. forced out of Saturday's fight
by Damian
Calhoun
Share Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has pulled out of Saturday’s
fight at Honda Center due to illness.
Chavez
Jr. first became sick last week and tried to continue, but woke
up Tuesday morning with a 103-degree fever, forcing him to drop
out.
Chavez
Jr. was originally scheduled to face Alfonso Gomez, but Gomez
was forced out with an elbow injury.
Pawel
Wolak was brought in as a replacement. He will now fight on the
undercard.
Nonito
Donaire’s (24-1 16 KOs) bantamweight fight against former
champ Wladimir Sidorenko (22-2-2, 7 KOs) will move to the main
event.
Also
on the card will be Humberto Soto (53-7-2, 32 KOs) against Urbano
Antillon (28-1, 20 KOs) and Miguel Angel Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs)
against Olivier Lontchi (18-1-2, 8 KOs)
Source: OC Register
|
Greg
Jackson versus Dana White
By Jake Rossen
Piling on Greg Jackson is the new sport within a sport. Following
Nate Marquardt's slow-gear performance against Yushin Okami at
UFC 122, UFC president Dana White labeled Jackson, Marquardt's
coach, as promoting "safety first" among his athletes.
Although that's a common goal among fighters, White -- and many
fans -- see anyone who comes from Jackson's camp as being infected
by some kind of ultraconservative approach.
Forget
Marquardt for a second: Frankly, very few fighters can look exciting
against Okami. And Marquardt's prior bouts weren't lacking in
energy. Is Jon Jones stinking up any arenas? Clay Guida?
There's
no question that some Jackson athletes take fewer risks than
they might have prior to meeting him. Melvin Guillard looked
calm in his last bout; Georges St. Pierre is flirting with becoming
a decision fighter. But you'll find plenty of athletes who share
the same reservations from other camps, and just as many from
Jackson's camp who can be thrilling. Jackson's reputation for
this isn't deserved. But if he's reminding his athletes they'll
one day have to use their heads for something other than fighting,
good for him. There's no reward for losing a record number of
brain cells.
Source: ESPN
|
Yuki
Kondo: The Journey of a Journeyman
by Tim
Koskuba
This Sunday night (or morning here in the States) longtime veteran,
Yuki Kondo, will have his 85th pro MMA fight in the main event
on Pancrase's 11th installment of their Passion Tour.
He
will rematch Rikuhei Fujii, the man who beat him in September,
for the middleweight King of Pancrase title.
Kondo
has been involved with the Pancrase promotion nearly since its
inception. His first recorded professional fight was on January
28th, 1996 against Takafumi Ito. He won in just over two minutes
with a guillotine choke submission. He ended up fighting 11 times
in 1996 with wins over the likes of Frank Shamrock, Semmy Schilt,
and Minoru Suzuki.
He
remained a Pancrase main-stay for the next 4 years before entering
the UFC in 2000. Kondo entered his first fight in the UFC with
a 28-8-3 record and got his 29th win against highly touted jiu-jitsu
competitor, Alexandre Dantas, in his Octagon debut at UFC 27.
In his next bout, Kondo would challenge then light-heavyweight
champion, Tito Ortiz, in an unsuccessful bid. Ortiz ended up
putting Kondo in a neck-crank and forced him to submit in the
first frame.
After
a 1-2 stint in the UFC, Kondo went back to Pancrase and made
a few appearances in the newly established DEEP promotion. In
2003, Kondo got the opportunity to compete against the light
heavyweight King of Pancrase, Sanae Kikuta. Kondo knocked out
Kikuta in the 3rd round to earn his first taste of gold in the
promotion. Quickly after, he got the call for to fight on PRIDE's
Shockwave card on New Year's Eve. It was one of the biggest cards
in Japanese MMA's short history and Kondo made sure to make the
appearance count as he forced a doctor's stoppage in the first
round of his fight with Brazilian, Mario Sperry.
Kondo
stayed reliable to where he made his name and still appeared
on Pancrase cards, even though he got opportunities to compete
in PRIDE. In 2004, the King of Pancrase took on the PRIDE middleweight
champion, Wanderlei Silva, and was turned into a highlight reel
courtesy of "The Axe Murderer". It was at Shockwave
2004 that Kondo could have put on his best career performance
against one of the best opponents he's faced. He took on future
duel-PRIDE champion, Dan Henderson. In one of the worst decisions
in MMA history (in this blogger's opinion), Henderson took a
split decision victory and Kondo was denied what would have been
a career-defining win.
After
that loss, Kondo's career seemed to fall apart. He has gone 9-9-3
since then with time and his past battles catching up with him
more and more each bout. He vacated the light heavyweight King
of Pancrase in January 2008 and was awarded the interim middleweight
King of Pancrase title. Kondo has held the title since then and
went on to defend that title in February against Takenori Sato.
The same title will be defended this coming weekend where the
veteran looks to avenge his most recent loss to Rikuhei Fujii
and earn another win in his near 15 year career.
While
Yuki Kondo will never be looked upon in the light of some legends
like a Kazushi Sakuraba or Hidehiko Yoshida, his tenure in mixed
martial arts should be remembered. Not many fighters can say
they went from the open-hand strikes and open weight rules of
the original Pancrase, to challenging for a UFC title, to being
a two-time King of Pancrase, and facing some of the best fighters
from this past generation along the way. Kondo has also been
a great acid test for prospects throughout his career, and only
few have passed. Some may say his time has come and gone, however
the guy is still a Pancrase staple, he's still winning fights,
and he's still collecting paychecks. You can't hate on the guy
for that.
Source: Head Kick Legend
|
Exclusive:
Marquardt responds to Dana, calls out Wanderlei
Nate Marquardt has issued an exclusive statement to Fighters
Only in order to address some issues surround him at present,
including the criticism levelled at his last performance and
his hopes for a ‘stand and bang’ fight with Wanderlei
Silva (“I will knock him out!”)
The
UFC middleweight is coming off a decision loss to Yushin Okami
at UFC 122 which derailed his title shot hopes and saw UFC president
Dana White criticise him for being a “choker” when
it comes to big fights.
"I
wanted to take a moment to address several issues. First, I want
to thank all of my fans for the overwhelming support I have received
leading up to and following the Okami fight. I stepped into the
Octagon in Germany with every intention of beating Okami and
fighting for the championship,” Marquardt told us.
“Unfortunately,
I lost a hard fought decision. Yushin fought a heck of a fight,
I give him a lot of credit, but the outcome of the fight is fully
my responsibility, it was my fight to win.
“After
the fight and in recent days, Dana White has publicly criticized
me for being a "choker" and not being aggressive enough.
While Dana's comments were difficult to hear, I firmly believe
that I am one of the best fighters in the world and will one
day be the UFC middleweight champion.
“However
in hindsight Dana is right - in order to live up to my full potential
and realize my championship dreams I need to be more aggressive
and showcase my inherent killer instinct. I need to stalk my
opponents, impose my will and finish fights on a consistent basis.”
Marquardt,
who is 2-2 in his last four outings, then addressed the issue
of which opponent he would like to face next - and why.
“Yesterday,
[Rousimar] Palhares began telling anyone who would listen that
he wants a rematch. This fight makes no sense to me. I TKO'd
him at the 3:28 mark of round one - then after he lost, he tried
to make excuses by saying I was greasing! These allegations were
immediately discounted by the Texas athletic commission,”
he said.
“If
Rousimar wants a rematch he will have to earn it, the same way
that I will have to earn another title shot. Which brings me
to my final point, who will I fight next.
“In
order to re-establish myself as the number one contender, my
next opponent needs to be an elite fighter who will stand and
bang with me in the center of the Octagon until one of us is
knocked out. The fight that makes the most sense to me is Wanderlei
Silva. I have a ton of respect for Wanderlei and have wanted
this fight for years, the fans have wanted this fight, they deserve
to see two of the best fighters in the world in an all out war.
“Wanderlei
is an amazing fighter who is very aggressive, I will pursue him
with unwavering tenacity, then I will knock him out! I promise
the UFC, Dana, my fans, my team, my coaches and most importantly
myself that never again will there be a question about my cage
aggression."
Source: Fighters Only
|
Baroni
admits job is on the line at UFC 125, embraces pressure of the
moment
by John
Morgan
Ten-year MMA veteran Phil Baroni (13-12 MMA, 3-6 UFC) makes no
attempt to shy away from the situation.
Winless
in his past two fights, "The New York Bad Ass" recognizes
that victory is imperative at UFC 125 if he hopes to continue
his pursuit of octagon success.
And
while some fighters often shy away from admitting additional
pressures that accompany their matchups, Baroni welcomes the
idea of what failure would cost. After all, considering the price
of the alternative just makes victory taste that much sweeter.
"It's
a must-win fight," Baroni told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).
"My back is against the wall, and I've got to win the fight.
I'm too old to be a journeyman.
"I
don't want to be fighting on small shows. You've got to do what
you've got to do. My back's against the wall, and it's time to
get serious and take care of my business."
Baroni
will get that chance in a preliminary card matchup with "The
Ultimate Fighter 11" cast member Brad Tavares (6-0 MMA,
1-0 UFC). While Baroni returned to the California-based American
Kickboxing Academy for his training camp, he and Tavares are
both Las Vegas-based fighters.
Baroni
said he likes what little he knows about Tavares, but once pen
is put to paper, those feeling are made irrelevant.
"Nice
kid," Baroni said. "My wife said he's a good-looking
kid, so I'm definitely going to bust him up. He's a nice kid,
but he signed the contract. He accepted the fight, and I'm not
really friends with him right now.
"I'm
confident in my ability and my training. It's going to be a [expletive]
storm that first round, and we'll see if Brad Tavares can get
through it. I don't think he can."
Of
course, with Baroni, it's not necessarily the first five minutes
that cause concern. Instead, the 34-year-old has been forced
to face questions of his stamina following two-straight decision
losses – including a UFC 106 loss to Amir Sadollah –
in which he had little left to offer in the final round.
Baroni
said the questions regarding his cardio are both annoying and
unjustified.
"They
don't know what in-shape is," Baroni said. "I fight
hard, and I leave it all in the ring. Maybe guys should fight
harder and try and leave it all in the ring – try and fight
for a finish.
"If
I laid on top of guys or ran around the ring, I wouldn't get
tired, either. That's just how I fight."
Baroni
first fought in the UFC in 2001, and he's since appeared for
PRIDE, Strikeforce and EliteXC, as well. He's dealt with his
share of losses along the way, and a defeat at the hand of Tavares
could signal Baroni's final fight in the octagon.
Baroni
knows full well what's at stake, but he insisted his time in
the cage is not yet over.
"I
just want to perform my best," Baroni said. "I've been
hearing this for six, seven, eight years now – I'm gone.
The sport has passed my by. It's a bunch of [expletive]. I like
to prove people wrong.
"One
thing I've done over the years is take care of my business. I've
always been fighting in the big shows, and when my back's up
against the wall, I seem to show up. Plan on me showing up, and
plan on me taking this guy out."
A
win would be Baroni's first in the octagon since his legendary
18-second win over Dave Menne at UFC 39. That September 2002
is a fight that will forever remain in the memory of longtime
MMA fans but one that many new fans to the sport likely have
never seen.
Baroni
hopes to give them a taste of what they missed.
"I'm
not that old," Baroni said. "I'm pretty tough, and
I'm confident in myself. I think I'm going on a run here. That's
my plan, to win a bunch of fights in the next couple of years
in the UFC – not get released and kick some ass. That's
what I'm going to do. It's now or never, so I'm embracing the
moment. I've been in the sport for 10 years. It's time to go
on a run.
"I
want to introduce myself to the new fans. There's a bunch of
new fans, and I didn't do such a good introduction of myself.
I'm better than I showed, and it would be nice to be on TV and
start off the night right."
Source: MMA Junkie
|
The
clock is ticking on K-1’s imploding Dynamite show
By Zach
Arnold
The
deadline is approaching for K-1 this week to get everything in
order if there is going to be a Dynamite show taking place at
Saitama Super Arena. December is already approaching and there
is still no official word regarding a television contract between
Tokyo Broadcasting System & K-1 for what has been traditionally
Japan’s biggest yearly fighting show. If TBS does not offer
substantial money to K-1 to produce a NYE event, the question
is not whether the Dynamite show will lose money… but just
how much will be lost.
There
are multiple scenarios on the table. The worst of all worlds
would involve K-1 paying TBS for television time. Another bad
outcome would be K-1 receiving little or no money (bartering),
which would prohibit the promotion from being able to spend the
kind of money needed to book big-name talent to pop a big TV
rating. If a deal between K-1 and TBS falls apart, K-1 could
very well find themselves in a scenario where they run a DREAM-type
no-TV event.
(This
is the current conventional wisdom amongst some Japanese insiders
I’ve talked to over the weekend.)
If
that happens, the event will largely be a meaningless exercise
that could lose money but not as much as a pay-for-play scenario.
If a TV deal falls apart, the smart solution would be for K-1
to cancel the NYE event and either stay on the sidelines or work
with Sengoku for their Ariake Colosseum event. (Who would have
ever thought that this would be a possibility?) Given that a
month ago K-1 tried to portray itself as a ‘big brother
helping out a little brother’ by offering to work with Sengoku
for their 12/30 Tokyo event, it would be a major loss of face
if K-1 canceled the Dynamite event. Which is why, in the end,
it’s likely the show will go on in Saitama even without
television. This is all about saving face and maintaining image
even with a steep price tag. Understand that K-1 needs momentum
and something positive to point to in order to maintain their
ties with both Fuji TV and Tokyo Broadcasting System. If Dynamite
bombs, their future on network television will be shaky.
The
stress is enormous right now on K-1’s staff. They have their
12/11 Ariake Colosseum event for Fuji TV that they need to sell
tickets for. So far, the primary focus for promotional operations
this week has been for the Ariake show. It’s going to be
tough for K-1 to sell out that event. Now, combine that with
the fact that they are in a terrible position going into the
Dynamite show with little or no momentum and something has to
give.
In
past years with the Dynamite event, event planning often started
as early as mid-September. Sketch out a plan, start having ad
agencies put out feelers, and by November get a television contract
done. We are now heading into December and there’s no (official)
deal worked out. The silence from both K-1 and Dynamite on this
front is deafening. This is the week we will find out whether
or not the Dynamite show has a TV deal. There’s always the
possibility that K-1 could try to get the show on another network,
but at this point those options would be severely limited because
NYE plans are already tentatively in place for the major networks
like Nippon TV, Fuji TV, etc. TV Tokyo is a possibility, but
it’s the smallest of the over-the-air channels in terms
of reach and would be viewed as a major step-down image wise
compared to TBS.
The
scope of just how much planning going into a big show like Dynamite
cannot be understated. There’s the TV side of the equation.
There’s the actual production of the show at the arena.
There’s the promotional operations machine. Then you have
to sell advertising (and this is especially difficult if you
don’t have the help of an ad agency connected to a major
TV network). On top of that, there’s the actual matchmaking
and construction of a fight card where you have to deal with
tons of egos and demands from both agents and talent. You have
to book hotel rooms and make sure everything logistically is
sound. I understand that this is not K-1’s first rodeo,
but the promotion is not on the same level as PRIDE was when
it comes time to doing work from the ground-up for a massive
show. K-1 has always been the TV promotion and PRIDE was the
live house promotion. With the TV deal in complete limbo, K-1’s
in a major predicament here.
On
the TBS web site, there are no details announced regarding a
deal with K-1. There is a match announcement of Hiroyuki Takaya
vs. Bibiano Fernandes and that’s it. Nothing else. Amongst
the ticket brokers, there is only basic event information given
out.
The
long-term survival prospects for K-1 will be largely determined
by how well the 12/11 Ariake Colosseum and 12/31 Saitama Super
Arena shows do business-wise. If they are money losers, the promotion
will be on its last legs. If the shows can somehow break even
or make a little money, then life goes on.
This
is one of the most important weeks in the history of K-1’s
organization.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
“King
Mo” Lawal Expecting March / April Return
By Kelsey
Mowatt
While
Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal will end his 2010 campaign
on the sidelines, and without the Strikeforce light-heavyweight
title, the former champ’s year is coming to a close with
some good news to report. Lawal is recovering faster than expected
from the surgery he underwent this past summer, to repair the
knee he injured during his TKO loss to Rafael “Feijao”
Cavalcante on August 23rd.
“Oh
man, everything’s great. This aint no interview great or
you know how people just say ‘I’m one hundred percent,’
this is for real. My knee is good; I’m hoping to be back
in March or April,” said Lawal, who originally was expected
to be sidelined until next summer. “That’s how confident
I am.”
While
Lawal is no stranger to knee injuries, the accomplished wrestler
was able to fight eight times in just under 24 months, after
beginning his pro MMA career in September, 2008. This time, however,
the injury required surgery to replace both the anterior and
posterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee.
“Last
time I had surgery I think I came back a little too soon,”
Lawal told FCF. “I think that weakened my knee. When I fought
Mike Whitehead, Mark Kerr, (Gegard) Mousasi, I think my knee
was getting weaker and weaker.”
After
utilizing his wrestling to dominate Mousasi through five rounds
for the Strikeforce championship in April, Lawal demonstrated
again why he’s widely considered to be one of the sport’s
fastest rising commodities. While most observers expected Cavalcante
to present Lawal a significant and serious challenge in August,
many were surprised to see not only Lawal lose to Cavalcante,
but how he performed during the bout.
“Here’s
the thing, my biggest weapons in MMA are my feet, my movement
and my takedowns,” Lawal stated, when asked to discuss the
impact the knee injury had on his performance that night. “I
couldn’t really move like I wanted to. I didn’t really
try to take Feijao down; I didn’t really shoot on any open
shots because I knew I was hurt.”
“Other
than that single leg I was working and he was elbowing me in
the head, that was the only time I really shot,” Lawal added.
“I didn’t shoot any double legs because I couldn’t
bring my trail leg up, which is my left leg, to finish any takedowns.
Even when I threw a jab, it felt funny, I could feel my knee
was giving.”
While
Lawal is adamant that injuring his knee that night reduced his
abilities to win, he understands that injuries are part of the
sport and credits Cavalcante for winning the fight. That said,
the charismatic fighter also believes that some of his critics
are overlooking the circumstances, which contributed to his first
professional loss.
“I
had people saying that I choked under pressure, well, I wrestled
for 12 years so I know I’m tough,” Lawal said. “Oh
yeah, you lost, you’re not that good,’ ‘You’re
overrated,’ you know how some fans are, people will talk
trash. I don’t care about that. In some ways I’m happy
I lost because now I know what I need to work on.”
Lawal
isn’t the first fighter to admit that he has grown as a
result of defeat, and with his recovery going extremely well,
he has big plans for 2011.
“I’m
hungry, I’m coming back and I’m going to get that belt
back,” Lawal stated. “I’m not worried about it.
Now when I fight it’s going to be ugly. People are going
to get hurt for real.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Bibiano
Fernandes
By Guilherme Cruz
Dream featherweight champion, Bibiano Fernandes will put his
belt in line on Dynamite, a traditional year-end event in Japan,
and talked with TATAME about his expectations for the duel with
Hiroyuki Takaya. “He’s a slippery guy, knows how to
defend himself. He’s too emotional, he can screw things
up with that. He’ll bring much emotion to the fight, he’ll
come forward, he’ll like to hit me a lot, so let’s
see what happens. I’ll be prepared for a war, get there
and do what I’ve trained to do”, affirmed Bibiano,
who analyzed the fusion between UFC and WEC, worshiping the light
divisions, revealed the wish of training with Jose Aldo and Marlon
Sandro at Nova União and commented his learning with BJ
Penn in Hawaii. “I exchanged much with him, trained my Jiu-Jitsu,
it was a great experience I’ve had with him for my next
fight”, said.
How is your preparation for your next fight going?
I’m training just fine, doing my homework, training a lot
of Boxing, Wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu… I’m training it
all and preparing myself for anything. I’ll be prepared
for a war, get there and do what I’ve trained to do.
What do you know about your opponent?
He’s a tough guy, but nowadays everybody’s tough, it’s
hard. He has good hands, but I have to be the best plan I can
use against him, set things straight, be pretty sharp. I have
to be prepared to exchange with him, do what I do: mixing Jiu-Jitsu,
Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling…
Will Jiu-Jitsu be your strongest weapon for this fight?
He’s a slippery guy, knows how to defend himself, knows
how to escape from the positions when he’s got his back
on the floor and then stand up and go for the trade of punches.
I’ll do what I can do: if I can submit him, it’s cool.
I’ll do whatever it is I can do to win that fight. The guys
is a hard one, do I have to do everything right to win this fight.
He’s too emotional, he can screw things up with that. He’ll
bring much emotion to the fight, he’ll come forward, he’ll
like to hit me a lot, so let’s see what happens.
You trained with BJ Penn in Hawaii. What new experiences you
had during this time you’ve had together?
A fighter must have a heart. Everybody has bad moments…
Who never had a tough moment on their lives? It’s a thing
I’ve learned from BJ: sometimes things will be bad and suddenly
you’re on the top, so you must keep moving on. We chose
to fight for a living, MMA, so we have to keep the focus, concentrate
in what we want and do our best each day. BJ has helped me a
lot, I can’t even say what I’ve learned from him. Let’s
see on my next fight what he taught me (laughs), I’ll use
those things. I exchanged much with him, trained my Jiu-Jitsu,
it was a great experience I’ve had with him for my next
fight.
How do you think things will be like for the light divisions
now with this fusion between UFC and WEC?
I think it’ll be a good thing for this weight class, but
now I can’t even think about it because I have a contract
signed with Dream, I have this one more fight. But we can never
predict the future, God knows what He does, He decides all things,
so we work, do everything right… But it’s good to know
that the light divisions are being more worship now. We may be
small on the outside, but inside we’re pretty big.
Marlon Sandro will fight on the same event you will, and José
Aldo, who is know the champion of UFC, will defend his belt in
2011… What do you expect of these fights?
I’ll be pretty honest with you: I cheer a lot for Marlon
Sandro, I cheer a lot for José Aldo… I cheer for
all Brazilians. Thanks God, one holds a belt, the other holds
other belt, and I hold my own belt… Let’s we all help
each other, cheer for each other, so that everybody gets what
they want. I really want that José Aldo go there and knock
him out, make a great presentation. I want that Marlon Sandro
gets on his fight and give the Brazilians a great show. I cheer
for the Brazilians, it doesn’t matter who he is, especially
when it comes to José Aldo and Marlon Sandro… The
guys are humble, but inside that ring they prove they are talented.
I cheer for them a lot and I’m sure they’ll do a great
job on their fights and be champions.
Do you consider coming to Brazil and training with them at Nova
União?
For sure, it’ll be an honor to me training with these guys.
It’s 100% humbleness. We learn a new thing every day. If
I have the chance to go there, I’ll be thrilled, happy and
thankful.
It’ll be, for sure, a hell of a training...
It’s
all about humbleness, good vibe. I cheer for all these guys,
not only for José Aldo, but the boys there, everybody.
I want everybody to evolve, to be happy… If I have to fight
the guys from there, the fight will only be inside the ring.
Training, friendship and respect are the most important things
to me.
Source: Tatame
|
In
Cummins, the Potter Becomes the Clay
by Jordan
Breen
Patrick
Cummins’ physique screams “bruiser”: a former
two-time NCAA All-American heavyweight wrestler, the topography
of his ears has been eroded smooth. The stubble of his shaven
head and beard run together. If you catch him without his front
false tooth in, you might mistake him for a hockey enforcer.
But
Cummins’ slice of Pennsylvania is not Broad Street. It is
idyllic Reinholds, in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country
-- the kind of quaint place where an Amish dairy farm is still
a legitimate tourist attraction and where a naturally gifted
grappler might end up with a simultaneous love for ceramics.
When
he was vying for a national wrestling title at Penn State University,
campus and local newspapers wrote about him. The narrative was
always the same.
“People
just can’t seem to get over that I could be sensitive artist
guy and heavyweight wrestler guy,” Cummins, a fine arts
major, muses. “They want to believe I’m some kind of
Renaissance man, that I’m so bizarre. I don’t mind
talking about it, but, really, it’s personal. I love pottery,
but I don’t want to be a potter. I don’t want to produce
cups and bowls. Clay is something I feel like I can develop.
I’ve got a good set of skills with it.”
One
struggles to imagine Cummins at a pottery wheel, but he has had
a long relationship with clay. Now, he’s becoming the clay
himself.
Cummins
will step into the cage for the first time on the Strikeforce
“Henderson vs. Babalu II” undercard on Saturday at
the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, taking on unbeaten local light
heavyweight Terrell Brown. The bout will stream live on Sherdog.com.
If
the praise for Cummins is gospel, his opponent is an irrelevant
detail; that’s what kind of prospect people feel Cummins
is. They rave about his athleticism and natural ability. They
cannot imagine this lump of clay not becoming a serious sculpture.
Ryan
ParsonsHis manager and trainer, Ryan Parsons, is quick to remind
he administers to only two other fighters: Jason Miller and Muhammed
Lawal. Parsons sees Cummins in that same mold, a marriage of
winning ability and personality.
“I’m
not interested in working with you if you’re just a good
fighter,” Parsons explains. “He’s a legit tough
guy with a real artsy side. It’s rare. He’s got that
kind of energy and natural ability and the compelling personality.”
The
All-American, The Prom Queen
While
Cummins’ track record alone is enough to attract hype, people
get more excited about a wrestling convert if he has “champion”
attached to his name. In the minds of the masses, there’s
a wide gulf between “NCAA runner-up” and “NCAA
champion,” “Olympic hopeful” and “Olympic
champion.” However, Cummins is from the same era of heavyweight
wrestling that produced UFC and Bellator heavyweight champions
Cain Velasquez and Cole Konrad, respectively.
“I
remember him being one of those guys always at the top of the
division in college and then after,” recalls Velasquez.
“He was a really good athlete.”
A
top-four finisher in 2003, Cummins was the runner-up to rival
and two-time national champion Tommy Rowlands in 2004. This might
have been the greatest period for NCAA heavyweight wrestling
in decades -- a fact not lost on Cummins.
“I
look at heavyweight wrestling a year or two after I was done,
and, man, I feel like I could’ve been a national champion,”
Cummins says with a laugh. “On the other hand, if I won
a national championship, would I have pushed myself that hard?
Maybe I would’ve given up wrestling and gone in a completely
different direction. I don’t know.”
Cummins
equivocates, but Lawal, a close friend and training partner,
does not.
“He
was just a few points away from beating some of those guys,”
Lawal opines. “If he was coming into his prime a few years
earlier, he could’ve beat John Lockhart or Tommy Rowlands.
He could’ve beat Brock Lesnar and Wes Hand. Pat is a power
guy, but he’s got a real skill set. He’s not just gonna
shoot double-legs and gas out. He’s a well-rounded wrestler.
Even though he was never a Greco guy, he can throw you in the
clinch. He can go for an inside trip, then all of a sudden he’s
lateral dropping you. He’s got great balance and hips.”
The
unfortunate reality of collegiate wrestling is that your nemeses
typically do not disappear afterwards. In 2004, Cummins opted
to hop on the Olympic ladder for freestyle wrestling, and all
the familiar faces joined him: Konrad, Rowlands, Steve Mocco
and more. Cummins racked up quality finishes in major tournaments
-- your Dave Schultz memorials, World Team Trials, Olympic Trials
and so on -- but could not capture gold.
Cummins
roomed with Lawal in Athens, Greece, where they both served as
training partners for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team. In the
downtime, their discussions turned toward fighting.
“I
told him, ‘Man, I want to fight.’ He told me, ‘Really?
I kinda want to fight, too,’” Lawal says, reminiscing.
“So we started to play fight. I remember I threw a kick,
and he checked it. He got a big ol’ lump on his shin. We
had no idea what we were doing.”
When
I broach the memory with Cummins, he laughs fondly in the way
someone in their middle age recalls their high school prom.
“I
can’t believe that was six years ago,” he says with
a real sense of wonder. “It was a long time coming. People
were looking at me saying, ‘We know you’re not happy,
Pat!’ It wasn’t just all of a sudden, ‘Oh, I’m
fighting.’ I really wish I had done it a long time ago.
With MMA, it’s learning new things; it’s never the
same. With wrestling ... I don’t know how many high crotches
I’ve hit in my life.”
To
start 2010, Cummins, who had competed most of his adult life
as a 250-pound heavyweight, dropped to 211.5 pounds. The assumption
was that he was hot in pursuit of a spot on the World Team.
“Yeah,
I wanted to make the World Team, but, honestly, it was like a
test cut to 205 pounds. I knew I was going to be a light heavyweight
in MMA,” he reveals with a smirk. “We did the test
cut [to 205] just about three weeks ago, and I felt good. I think
I’ve got that balance, where I can be bigger and stronger
than most guys at 205 but still have the speed and endurance.”
The
most obvious potential red flag, however, is Cummins’ age.
The average age of MMA’s superstars continues to drop with
the influx of pound-for-pound-level 20-somethings; Cummins turned
30 on Nov. 16. Though he has had a healthy wrestling career,
it’s hard to be excited the way people are about a 23-year-old
Jon Jones.
“The
other day, I met this guy, and he said, ‘How old are you?’
I said, ‘I’m tw ... er ... I’m 30.’ He said,
‘Oh man, you’re old!’” Cummins says. “Maybe
I’m getting old, but getting into something new, I don’t
feel that way at all. I feel like I’m 20.”
The
Globetrotter, The Sociologist
“A
few days into the trip, he was pulling guard
-- in Brazil.”
-- "Mayhem" on Cummins.
In
October, Cummins took an eight-day sojourn to Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, alongside Parsons and Miller, as part of the EA Sports
MMA Fighter Exchange. Prior to that, he had only trained full-time
for two weeks. The trip, which took them all over Rio’s
most celebrated gyms, crystalized Parsons’ excitement for
his new charge.
“Pat
just ‘gets it.’ On the feet, he can really punch and
is coming along quickly. On the ground, he's surprisingly good
off of his back already. He knows when to flip, when to hip heist.
He just knows,” Parsons says, trying to give his best clinical
assessment through obvious excitement.
The
trio went everywhere: Nova União, X-Gym, Team Nogueira,
Brazilian Top Team, Renovação Fight Team and Nobre
Arte. Everywhere Cummins went, fighters and trainers marveled
at his game, and they were shocked by how briefly he had trained.
“It’s
crazy how fast he picks this stuff up,” Miller told me after
the pair had come back from Rio. “A few days into the trip,
he was pulling guard -- in Brazil. And yet, he was still throwing
guys around with his wrestling.”
Compelling Character
For
Cummins, the trip was formative technically. But he’s contemplative
and feels it meant something much larger to his fighting career.
“The
cultural experience was the insane part,” Cummins says,
his voice brimming with almost childlike enthusiasm. “No
other overseas trip I’ve ever had with wrestling compared
to it. Granted, I’ve mostly been to places like Azerbaijan
and Bulgaria.”
As
a wrestler, his trips to ramshackle former Soviet blocs -- witnessing
the filthy, ripped mats, ever-present stench of stale sweat and
general climate of desolation -- was a stark lesson on how and
why these nations’ wrestlers had so much international success.
There was nothing else for them, only Olympic gold or poverty.
Similarly, in Rio, he was side-by-side with favela kids trying
to fight out of insolvency.
“It
was eye-opening for me. I’m still getting used to Orange
County,” Cummins says with a chuckle.
Back
in the O.C., Cummins’ preparation for Brown continues, splitting
time between Mark Munoz’s Reign MMA and Rafael Cordeiro’s
Kings MMA, where he has worked alongside Miller, Munoz, Renato
“Babalu” Sobral, Fabricio Werdum, Krzysztof Soszynski
and others. Notably absent is the original training partner who
steered him toward MMA, Lawal, still on the mend from knee surgery.
The
Character, The Criminal
As
Parsons articulates, it’s not just the malleable, moldable
nature of Cummins as a fighter that is so exciting. What really
makes Cummins compelling is that he is a legitimately intriguing
personality.
It’s
not the lutteur-artiste duality that makes him compelling. In
spite of that relationship being the most eye-grabbing, metaphorically
satisfying angle with which to make copy, Cummins’ personality
is not so easily distilled. From the moment you talk to him,
he is congenial and intimate in a way that makes you feel like
you have been friends for years. With Parsons’ other clients,
Miller and Lawal, their fighting personas are amplifications
of their personalities, which have a natural in-your-face component.
Cummins is more difficult to pin down.
He
seldom stops smiling and laughing in conversation but never approaches
goofiness. He loves adventure sports, as well as Animal Collective
and LCD Soundsystem. He talks about making butternut squash and
ricotta ravioli and his love of the Food Network.
“I
wasn’t sure what to make of Pat at first,” confesses
Parsons. “I had an eye-opening experience when we were in
Japan. We were out at a club, and Pat, who wasn’t drinking,
was out-dancing Jason. The club was going crazy. He just has
that energy.
“Take
a guy like ‘The Rock,’ for example,” he continues.
“I never really understood the hype. I get that he was supposed
to be some kind of charismatic wrestler. Then, my wife saw him
in a parking lot in Santa Monica. He didn’t even say anything,
but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He just has that
magnetism.”
Strange
bedfellows they may make, but Cummins now lives with Miller.
While Miller’s “Mayhem” persona can make others
feel anxious, Cummins finds it reassuring and says he feels “more
normal than ever” being around someone like Miller.
Cummins
uses the phrase “fit in” a lot. He talks about “fitting
in” with wrestlers and art students in school and now trying
to “fit in” with MMA. It sounds odd, spoken so frankly,
from a 30-year-old grown athlete.
“I
told Ryan, ‘I can’t act like these guys. I don’t
want to talk s--t like Mo. I can’t do a crazy dance routine.
I don’t know if I’ll fit in with this. How are the
things I’m interested in going to translate?’”
says Cummins. “He told me, ‘People are going to respond
to you. You’re the only guy I know like you.’”
Still,
it’s more complicated than that. The words that are most
often used to describe Cummins are “mellow” and “laid
back,” yet no one I talk to fails to mention his “nasty
streak” or “wild side.”
In
May 2008, Cummins was arrested alongside fellow former Nittany
Lion wrestler-turned-MMA fighter Eric Bradley as they were loading
stolen property into a car. From December 2007 to May 2008, the
pair burglarized seven local fraternities, stealing laptops,
video games, televisions, cash and clothing.
They
were charged with seven counts of burglary and 17 related counts.
After confessing to their crimes and cooperating with local police,
they expected probation. However, the prosecutor handling their
case changed, and their verbal agreement was out the window.
The case continues to drag on.
“Don’t
worry, I love being awkward,” Cummins facetiously assures
me when I broach the subject.
His
father doubling as his high school principle, Cummins grew up
a straight arrow in bucolic Pennsylvania. As a lifelong late
bloomer, I wonder if this was not his version of late-stage teenage
angst.
“Yeah,
you know what? That’s right,” he says, as if I’d
just given him a strategy for rationalization. “You know,
I’m not that kind of guy. That’s not me. I think that
was just my way to rebel.”
“The
cultural experience was the insane part.”
-- Cummins on his Brazil trip.
I
wonder if I’m being melodramatic, thinking there might truly
be a lawless part of Cummins’ personality, tailor-made for
the cage. Or are seven frat burglaries in six months acceptable
as a late-stage teenage angst? Am I being prudish? I keep imagining
him shoving frat tchotkes into a car trunk while listening to
Animal Collective’s “Strawberry Jam.” Parsons
is right. It is certainly compelling, even if it leaves me without
the answers I crave.
It’s
hard to imagine an athlete with his wrestling pedigree and natural
aptitude failing at MMA, but crazier things have happened. Is
30 years old too old for a blue-chip prospect, given the youth
movement in MMA? Will the public, which loves simple, black-and-white
professional wrestling-style characters, be intrigued by someone
who is genuinely intriguing?
I
am hypnotized by the turn of the potter’s wheel, intrigued
to find out what this clay becomes.
Source: Sherdog
|
Rio
de Janeiro City Hall awaits UFC in 2011
by Marcelo
Dunlop
When
GRACIEMAG.com first broke the news the Ultimate Fighting Championship
was set to touch down in the Barra da Tijuca borough of Rio de
Janeiro for the first time, in 2011, UFC president Dana White
sought to throw us off track.
Today,
however, Riotur, the Rio de Janeiro Municipal tourism enterprise
overseen by the city’s Secretary of Tourism, confirmed for
this report that GRACIEMAG.com had it right yet again.
According
to City Hall, the Octagon is set to arrive at the HSBC Arena
in August of next year. To the Secretary of Tourism, UFC Brazil
is already considered the city’s big event of that month.
The
Riotur agenda was released last weekend by president of Riotur
Antonio Pedro in Joaquim Ferreira dos Santos’s Gente Boa
column in Globo newspaper.
It
will be the second UFC to take place in Brazil. In 1998 the show
was held in São Paulo, with fights like Vitor Belfort
vs. Wanderlei Silva.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
TUF
12 Finale Fight Card Tomorrow
The Pearl at the Palms, Las Vegas, Nevada
December 4, 2010
Hawaii Air Time:
7:00 - 10:00PM Spike TV (Channel 559)
Dark
matches
Lightweights:
Sako Chivitchian vs. Kyle Watson
Lightweights: Cody McKenzie vs. Aaron Wilkinson
Featherweights: Tyler Toner vs. Ian Loveland
Middleweights: Rich Attonito vs. Dave Branch
Featherweights: Fredson Paixao vs. Pablo Garza
Bantamweights: Will Campuzano vs. Nick Pace
Main
card
Featherweights:
Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia
Welterweights: Johny Hendricks vs. Rick Story
Middleweights: Kendall Grove vs. Demian Maia
Light Heavyweights: Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac
TUF 12 Finals (Lightweights): Jonathan Brookins vs. Michael Johnson
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Primer:
UFC/Strikeforce Weekend
by Jake
Rossen
Saturday
marks the first time the UFC and Strikeforce have aired live
programming opposite one another, but there’s really not
much to be made of that: Showtime airs in only a fraction of
the homes Spike does, making any real comparison of viewership
a mess of semantics, demographics, and relative numbers. Dave
vs. Jay is a pretty fair ratings match; this one requires a lot
of handicapping.
If
anything can be figured out, it’ll be based largely on the
drawing power of promotional names, not athletes: Strikeforce
lost a draw in Herschel Walker last week, while the UFC is dealing
primarily with ungroomed “Ultimate Fighter” participants
and a well-liked headliner in Stephan Bonnar. The Strikeforce
card has more intriguing and rankings-relevant bouts, but its
own top draw -- Dan Henderson rematching Renato Sobral -- may
be a somewhat muted affair. Unless Sobral can catch Henderson
in something, there’s not a lot of breaking news to anticipate.
What’s
really remarkable Saturday: Fredson Paixao and Pablo Garza will
mark the first time featherweights have under competed under
the UFC banner; Will Campuzano and Nick Pace introduce bantamweights
the same night. Athletes who work every bit as hard as the rest
and who helped bolster an entire company have earned the platform
the UFC provides. More than anything, we’ll probably remember
the event as the night they finally got what they deserved.
What:
“The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale”, from the Pearl at
the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada; Strikeforce “Henderson vs.
Babalu” from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
When:
Saturday, Dec. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on Spike (“TUF 12” Finale);
10 p.m. ET on Showtime (Strikeforce)
Why
You Should Watch: Because Demian Maia against Kendall Grove is
a nice puzzle of Maia’s jiu-jitsu against Grove’s rubber
limbs; because Paul Daley against Scott Smith is one of the sport’s
few money-back guarantees of a knockout; because fights taken
on short notice -- as in the case of Mike Kyle’s bout with
Antonio Silva -- usually mean explosive, strategy-free action;
and because Bonnar is rarely in a boring fight.
Fight
of the Night: Daley/Smith, for as long as it lasts.
Hype
Quote of the Show: “Even some of my closest friends, when
I told them who I was fighting, they were like ‘oh Maia,
oooohhh,’…it kinda pisses me off, and what a lot of
people don’t know is that I asked for this fight.”
-- Grove, on making life harder on himself, to UFC.com.
Questions:
UFC/Strikeforce
Can
‘The Ultimate Fighter’ still create stars?
The
first season of Spike’s “Ultimate Fighter” was
initially seen as a free pass into UFC contention. “Regular”
fighters had to come up the hard way, while the reality stars
got there faster; winners weren’t celebrated so much as
resented.
If
the show was planned as stunt work, it worked better than anyone
could’ve expected: Forrest Griffin, Chris Leben, Josh Koscheck
and others went on to become champions or contenders. But in
its 12th season, the show might finally be arriving full circle
-- as a vehicle for primetime programming over actual recruiting.
Recent winner Efrain Escudero was cut; Ross Pearson had a good
run interrupted by Cole Miller; and no contestant since season
three winner Michael Bisping has approached a level that impacts
box office revenue. The winner of Saturday’s Michael Johnson/Jonathan
Brookins bout might discover that they haven’t necessarily
earned relevance -- just the chance at it.
Matt
LindlandCan Matt Lindland still create problems?
It
was only a few years ago that some observers lobbied the conspiracy
theory that UFC brass were so nervous smothering wrestler Matt
Lindland would beat marketable Rich Franklin that they found
a reason to oust him from the promotion. Lindland reportedly
wore a sponsor shirt that was not allowed, and was subsequently
fired. Truth to the explanation? Who knows
The
40-year-old has struggled since, dropping fights to Vitor Belfort
and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. Beating Robbie Lawler Saturday
might reintroduce the idea that Lindland is no particular picnic
for anyone he fights.
Is
Daley the new go-to villain?
The
moment he struck Josh Koscheck after the bell during a May UFC
event, Daley became the poster child for impropriety. (He was
fired the same night.)
Fans
have good memories: when Sean Sherk was alleged to have tested
positive for banned substances, he returned to boos. Whether
Daley plays that up or tries to be contrite is something the
audience might wind up helping him decide.
Red
Ink: Henderson vs. Sobral
Think
you can get a handle on Saturday’s Strikeforce rematch between
Sobral and Henderson by watching their February 2000 fight? Forget
it: so much time has passed that the footage is irrelevant. An
overweight Sobral scored with leg kicks and even took Henderson
down. But under Rings rules, no one was able to strike to the
head on the ground. With both men exhausted from prior fights
the same night, it’s not much more help than camcorder footage
from a tough sparring session.
The
only thing unlikely to change is Henderson’s ability to
muscle Sobral around in the clinch: he hasn’t gotten any
less dangerous there or elsewhere, while Sobral has had a hot-and-cold
career in the years since. A second win over Sobral is not going
to be one of the more notable marks on Henderson’s resume,
but following a loss to Jake Shields in the spring, it’s
a fair test of what the 40-year-old former Pride champion has
left.
At
Stake: A possible title shot against Rafael "Feijao"
Cavalcante; for Henderson, enough juice for a higher-profile
fight against Fedor Emelianenko.
Wild
Card: Were Henderson’s problems against Shields attributable
to a hard weight cut -- as he claims -- or simply a war-torn
body finally showing its age?
Who
Wins: Henderson tends to struggle more as a light-heavyweight,
but Sobral probably isn’t looking at many chances to win
outside of a submission during a scramble. The Big Right Hand,
the pace, and the clinch work are all still enough to put away
just about anybody in the sport. Henderson by decision.
Source: Sherdog
|
State
of the Strikeforce Lightweights
By Michael
David Smith
Strikeforce has a lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez, whose
only fight in 2010 was a win over the lightweight champion of
Dream, Shinya Aoki, and who keeps talking about his desire to
fight the lightweight champion of Bellator, Eddie Alvarez. So
doesn't Strikeforce have any of its own lightweights for its
champion to fight?
No,
not really. At least not right now, where the best fight for
Melendez really would be outside the organization. But as we
look at the state of the Strikeforce lightweights below, we'll
examine whether the promotion can beef up its lightweight roster
and make bigger things happen in 2011.
The
Champion: Gilbert Melendez
Fights
that will happen:
Strikeforce and Showtime don't have any lightweight fights scheduled.
Fights
that should happen:
Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez: Yes, I know all the business reasons
that Strikeforce and Showtime don't want to use their own resources
to promote Alvarez, who's under contract to Bellator. But after
a 2010 in which big fights happened too rarely in the Strikeforce
cage, it's time for Strikeforce to show MMA fans that it's serious
about giving them the fights they want, and there's no lightweight
fight outside the UFC that MMA fans want more than Melendez vs.
Alvarez. Both fighters say they want it and Bellator says they're
willing to meet Strikeforce more than halfway, booking the fight
in whatever venue Strikeforce chooses. This is a deal that should
get done, but probably won't.
Josh
Thomson vs. Lyle Beerbohm: After Melendez, Thomson is Strikeforce's
next-best lightweight. But while there's been some talk of giving
him a third fight with Melendez, it would make a lot more sense
to book these guys with fresh opponents. Beerbohm, who's got
a 14-0 pro record and a great back story as a former prison inmate
who has turned his life around, would be the perfect match-up
for Thomson right now.
JZ
Calvan vs. KJ Noons: Calvan is coming off a loss to Thomson,
while Noons is coming off a loss to welterweight champion Nick
Diaz. But even if neither one of these guys is exactly at the
top of the promotion's lightweight totem pole, putting them in
the cage against each other provides one of them with an opportunity
to get back on track, and provides the fans with what would be
a fairly entertaining scrap.
Others
in the mix:
Justin Wilcox: Strikeforce has put Wilcox in the cage four times
in the last 16 months, and he's 4-0, including a one-sided decision
over Vitor Ribeiro on the November Challengers card.
Billy
Evangelista: Evangelista is 11-0 in his MMA career and looked
good beating Waachiim Spiritwolf and Jorge Gurgel in his last
two. He's ready for a step up in quality of competition.
Potential
breakout fighter:
Yes, Ryan Couture gets a lot more attention than he really deserves
on merit, because of his name. But unlike Kim Couture, whom Strikeforce
put in the cage for fights that didn't have any business being
televised by a major promotion and major pay cable network, Ryan
Couture actually looks like he has real promise in the sport.
Predicted
Strikeforce lightweight champion at end of 2011: Gilbert Melendez
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Diego
Sanchez Likely To Stay At 170 Pounds For Next Fight
by Damon
Martin
When Diego Sanchez moved back to New Mexico, he not only went
back to his roots, he went back to the team and trainer that
took him to the peak of his career.
Walking
through the doors at Team Greg Jackson, Sanchez was truly home
again and it showed when “The Ultimate Fighter Season 1?
winner put on a classic performance in defeating Paulo Thiago
at UFC 121 in October.
The
return to form was Sanchez’s statement that he was back.
For trainer Greg Jackson, it was just the time he had been waiting
for. Jackson brought Sanchez up from his earliest days in MMA,
and after an absence from the camp in recent years, the return
culminated in a great moment after the fight.
“I
was walking with him after the fight, it was just me and him,
and we were walking back to the dressing room from the ring.
I just had flashbacks of when he was like 19 years old and winning
everything and walking back. It was a real comfortable feeling,
it was one of those heartwarming moments. It’s kind of cheesy,
but it happens,” Jackson told MMAWeekly.com.
Before
the fight at UFC 121, Sanchez had fallen on hard times. A loss
to B.J. Penn in his first ever attempt to claim a UFC title was
a setback. Then Sanchez decided to go back to his old weight
class at 170 pounds, where he was soundly beaten by British prospect
John Hathaway.
Following
that fight, Sanchez returned to Team Greg Jackson and the training
that gave him his start, igniting his fire in the sport. Jackson
was happy to have Sanchez back and was glad to prove the naysayers
wrong when the New Mexico native won in decisive fashion over
Thiago.
“Especially
after he was on a couple-fight losing streak and people were
writing him off as done, to just come back like that and show
what an exciting fighter he is. (To) get back to that push forward
exciting style, and having that performance against such a tough
opponent, a guy that knocked out (Josh) Koscheck, he’s got
(Mike) Swick, and he’s just done very, very well, to have
that kind of performance and to just show the world that Diego
is still around and back part of the camp,” Jackson said.
“What
a night. You wish they could all be like that.”
Sanchez
has since returned to the New Mexico camp to help other teammates
prepare for upcoming bouts. The question lingers whether he will
stay at 170 pounds for the immediate future or go back down to
lightweight.
UFC
president Dana White has stated he believes Sanchez is better
suited as a lightweight, but leaves it up to his fighter when
it comes time to choose. Jackson believes Sanchez will take at
least one more fight at 170 pounds after the successful showing
he had in October.
“I’m
leaving it to Diego, I really don’t manage people, I just
train them to fight, so the UFC tells us who we fight and we
say okay and we fight them. I do have some input, but I’m
kind of waiting to see. He looked good at 70 there, flowing and
fast, and so I’m still on the fence about it,” Jackson
said about his opinion.
“I
think we’ll probably do our next fight at 70. I think what
him and his management have decided, and Joe and Dana of course
they’re the bosses, so they’ve got to decide as well,
but I think we’re doing our next one at 70, but I’m
not 100-percent.”
The
welterweight division has a number of challengers that could
step up and face Sanchez. As the cards start to fill out for
2011, it probably won’t be long until the “Nightmare”
has found his next challenge.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Prosecutors:
Driver charged in 'Mask' death exceeded 100 mph
Sergio
Non
Recommend The other driver involved in the March 2009 death of
Tapout founder Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. was speeding
and had a blood alcohol level far beyond the legal limit, prosecutors
say. From the Associated Press:
SANTA
ANA, Calif. -- Prosecutors say skid marks show a man charged
in the death of mixed martial arts business pioneer Charles "Mask"
Lewis Jr. was going more than 100 mph before crashing into Lewis'
red Ferrari.
Deputy
District Attorney Jason Baez said Tuesday that 53-year-old Jeffrey
David Kirby was speeding when he lost control and crashed into
Lewis' high-end sports car. Lewis died in the March 2009 wreck
in Newport Beach.
Prosecutors
say Kirby's blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit
two hours after the collision.
Defense
attorney Mark Fredrick says Kirby had been drinking but blames
Lewis for driving at a "frightful" speed that caused
the wreck.
Kirby
has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence
while intoxicated.
Lewis
and Dan "Punkass" Caldwell founded Tapout in 1997 as
a maker of T-shirts aimed at mixed martial arts fans. The company
eventually branched out into other apparel and fight-related
gear and has become the most ubiquitous sponsor of fighters and
MMA events.
The
company generated revenue of almost $200 million in 2009, executives
say. Authentic Brands Group bought Tapout earlier this year.
Tapout
executives featured in a Versus reality TV show that followed
them around the country as they traveled to MMA events and scouted
young fighters. The show ended after Lewis' death.
Source: USA Today
|
Bonnar
At Home In The Octagon
Mike Straka
“I’m ready for Igor. I’m coming off some poetic
justice. I’m hungrier than ever right now. It’s going
to be a war, so get ready.”
Stephan Bonnar (15-7) makes life as a fighter look so much easier
than it is.
Perhaps
it’s because he’s been deep in the water more times
in his career than most guys get their whole lives. Perhaps it’s
because he’s trained with the likes of Carlson Gracie and
Sergio Penha, and that’s about as good as it gets when it
comes to Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Perhaps
it’s because he has come so close so often, only to see
the opportunity slip through a judge’s decision, a ref’s
stoppage or a nearly career ending knee injury, that he just
knows better than to let things get to him.
Whatever
the answer is, Stephan Bonnar is at peace as he goes into the
cage to face tough Croatian Igor Pokrajac (22-7) Saturday in
yet another TUF Finale, a place where he made his bones in the
first place.
“I’m
real comfortable fighting on big shows,” says Bonnar. “To
fight on big cards means a lot to me, and let me tell you, that
win against Krzysztof Soszynski in July on one of the biggest
cards in UFC history is awesome. My heart was crushed over what
happened in Australia and to have a happy ending to the whole
Krzysztof saga is just great.”
Bonnar
contested that TKO loss due to a doctor’s stoppage after
suffering a head butt-induced cut against Soszynski at UFC 110,
but he lost his appeal. It put him at three losses in a row,
and Bonnar had to endure those nagging questions from fans and
media about retirement.
“I
was in no way ready to retire, and now I’m going into this
fight riding a high. I’m training at One Kick’s Gym,
I’m eating like a horse and I feel great. I feel like I’m
on top of my game,” he said. “It really got to me having
to read all of those ‘Stephan’s done’ stories
on the Internet. I’m not done.”
Could
it be just a coincidence then, that just as Bonnar is poised
to announce his return to his former self and make another run
at the light heavyweight title that it’s going to happen
on a TUF Finale, or could there be something in the air? Bonnar’s
coming full circle to the place that put him on the MMA map seven
years ago at the first TUF Finale, where his epic bout against
Forrest Griffin still lives on in UFC lore.
It’s
a whole different side of the fence for his opponent. A protégé
of Mirko Cro Cop, Pokrajac is looking at this fight against Bonnar
as one to make a statement in, and Bonnar is determined not to
be his UFC stepping stone.
“He’s
throws hard punches and he’s got a good gas tank, so I can’t
stand around and get him by him. I don’t think too much
of his top game on the ground but he’s got a good guard.
I haven’t seen anybody do too much damage to him on the
ground. But I’m ready in all areas of the fight game right
now. I’m better at striking. I’m better at submissions.
I might even be a better wrestler. My camp has really clicked.
I’m putting in the work and we have a pretty good game plan
working,” he said.
Bonnar
loves being a fighter, but he says there’s life outside
of fighting, and he loves being creative. His company NGauge
is his outlet for that creativity. NGauge started out a high
quality artwork endeavor, but he and his partner just might be
on to the next big thing in MMA inspired clothing.
“Trash
Talking Kids,” says Bonnar, “T shirts inspired by Josh
Koscheck’s constant running of his mouth. I mean, he talked
so much trash to Paul Daley the guy sucker-punched him after
the fight. And then, when he could have won over the entire Canadian
crowd, he continues to talk trash and insult their hockey team
and GSP. I was laughing so hard and just thought, ‘what
if there were trash talking T’s,’ and the idea was
born. I’m going to wear the American Whacko shirt Saturday,”
he says.
Bonnar
says he can see his new line appealing to men, women and children,
but he says it’s not about the money, but the outlet.
“It’s
nice to have something else to think and talk about than just
fighting, fighting, fighting all the time,” he said. “I
mean, I know guys who train for their fights, then fight, then
just talk and talk about fighting, and that’s fine, that’s
their thing. I like to use my brain in different ways, creative
ways.”
Fighting
isn’t easy,” he continues. “It’s hard to
go and train every single day. You’re sore. You’re
battered and bruised. And you’ve got to get up every day
and hit the gym. You have to put the work in. And if you have
nothing else in your life, for me at least, it drives you crazy.”
Bonnar,
33, and his wife of two years, Andrea, are thinking about kids,
but right now they’ve got their hands full with new puppies
that their Pomeranian Pugsley gave birth to in August.
“We’re
getting real good practice taking care of the puppies, and they’re
definitely a handful,” says Stephan. “Pugsley had three
pups and it’s been fun watching them grow from little hamster
looking things into actual dogs,” he says.
And
while Bonnar may be more interested in talking about anything
but fighting, don’t be fooled into thinking he’s not
focused on the task at hand.
“Oh
no, definitely not,” he said. “I’m ready for Igor.
I’m coming off some poetic justice. I’m hungrier than
ever right now. It’s going to be a war, so get ready.”
Source: UFC
|
Sherdog’s
Guide to ‘The Ultimate Fighter’
by Scott
Holmes
We
jump right in on the last episode of Season 12 of “The Ultimate
Fighter,” with Kyle Watson explaining his small-town roots,
having had to pay an organization for his first fight. Watson
goes on to say that when he reached a fork in the road, he turned
down an offer from a promotion in the big city to leave his girl,
job and dog to try and make a dollar the hard way.
Going
into the semi-finals Georges St. Pierre’s assistant coach,
John Danaher, feels the matchup between Watson and Jonathan Brookins
is premature and should have come at the finale. He believed
they have made the greatest strides during their time on the
show.
Meanwhile,
Josh Koscheck’s little helpers are starting to become bored
without any fights for which to prepare, and Koscheck is not
providing much coaching, either.
“I
don’t feel like that I got much out of it,” says top
pick Marc Stevens, pointing out that GSP brought in a who’s
who of fight gurus throughout the season. Team Koscheck did get
its ears boxed by Jon Fitch, but morale is at an all-time low.
“Just
getting back home and bitching, I’m sure it’s not helping,”
admits Jeff Lentz, as his teammates commiserate together.
There
are a few dissenters, Sevak Magakian chief among them. “I
get a lot out of Josh,” he says. However, he later concedes,
“I expected less.”
After
his teammates complaining to each other, Stevens entertained
them with a hilarious imitation of Koscheck, which included primping
of the hair, self-involved speak and training mantras such as
“hard work pays off.” Koscheck walks in on the performance
and stares at Stevens, who squirms while trying to downplay what
just happened.
Koscheck
has no problem saying his team’s members should be pointing
fingers at themselves, not him, when it comes to their “failures.”
He ends his solo camera time by repeating, “Hard work does
pay off.”
Brookins
readies for Watson by isolating himself with some outdoor activities
like pool punching and tree swinging, all while talking about
trying to stay away from the camera. Despite his breezy demeanor,
the WEC veteran appears to have a real grasp of where he is headed
in terms of an MMA career.
Another
semi-finalist, lone Team Koscheck representative Nam Phan, also
spends time in backyard isolation, but not by his design. Phan’s
teammates no longer have fights for which to ready themselves,
and they use their time to shun him. He is viewed as “shady”
and “two-faced,” with Lentz going so far as to call
him a gossipy girl after some he-said-she-said shenanigans. It
forces Phan on the defensive, as he awkwardly fends off the sniping
from teammates whose love he has apparently lost.
The
morning of the Brookings-Watson semi-final, the two started the
day in styles befitting their on-screen personas. The sun silhouetted
Watson as he leaned against a post on the patio, coffee in hand,
like straight out of a Folger’s commercial. Brookins did
Jedi handstands in the yard and weighed in on his state of mind.
“If
you’re prepared,” he said, “there’s no such
thing as pressure.”
Spike
TV
Michael
JohnsonBrookins has proven graceful in his application of technique,
but Watson quickly reminds him that the Octagon is indeed a violent
place, snapping his head back to start the fight. Quick consideration
leads Brookins to race in low for the takedown and push Watson
against the fence. On the mat, Brookins postures in Watson’s
guard and displays some legitimate ground-and-pound. He requires
little space to generate power, thudding Watson’s head against
the canvas for a majority of the first round.
In
the second, Brookins goes low again. Watson fights off his advances,
only to be thrown. Watson does not regain his footing until the
end of round two, after Brookins runs him over for another five
minutes. Watson is clearly behind on the scorecards, so cornerman
and fellow semi-finalist Michael Johnson gives him the all-or-nothing
pep talk between rounds.
“He’s
going to come in with his head low … short uppercut, move
away,” Johnson says.
Instead,
Brookins and Watson clinch almost immediately, trading knees.
Brookins scores with an elevated slam and slowly inches Watson
toward the fence. There, he finishes the fight by beating on
Watson in convincing fashion, securing his place in the final.
Watson leaves with a sensible attitude, vowing to take home all
he has learned from St. Pierre.
“He
didn’t hide anything,” Watson said. “He gave us
everything.”
Meanwhile,
the situation surrounding Phan does not improve, as being ostracized
takes an unpleasant toll. Footage shows him training in silence
in an empty gym.
“You’re
put in a situation, and it’s not always in your favor,”
he says.
However,
he believes Johnson was the ideal matchup for him in the semi-finals.
“Michael
Johnson has the most holes in his game,” Phan says before
comparing himself to a Honda Civic. “I’m not the biggest,
strongest, fastest car on the lot, but I’m efficient on
gas.”
Koscheck
pins his hopes on Phan, his team’s last surviving member.
“All
my eggs are in his basket,” Koscheck says. “He’s
the Easter Bunny.”
Technique
meets attitude when Phan and Johnson step into the cage. Johnson
scores with two quick takedowns but absorbs some elbows to the
head for his troubles. After they return to their feet, Phan
starts to connect. Johnson gets popped a few times before his
next takedown.
Phan
describes Johnson’s style as “ghetto brawling,”
but it seems to work well, as he swarms him against the fence
in a fury. Phan hits Johnson flush, as both men eat heavy shots.
Johnson takes down Phan several times but never keeps it on the
ground for long. They fight like men possessed. Johnson appears
to win round one, and Phan’s corner is emphatic in its call
for more pressure.
However,
it is Johnson who puts on the squeeze in round two. He remains
in control, until Phan plugs him with a body shot that wows UFC
President Dana White and others sitting cage-side. Johnson’s
hands drop, and Phan repeatedly tags him with a left hand to
the right side of the body. Phan also throws plenty of kicks,
some of which Johnson checks. Johnson shows his resolve, as he
withstands the onslaught and keeps pressing forward. He comes
alive in the final 30 seconds, thumping Phan in attempt to take
away the round.
Johnson
plows right into his foe to start the third round, and while
Phan remains active, he has no mustard on his punches. Johnson
again seems in control, until Phan lands another body shot that
nearly crumples him. Johnson folds over but continues to fight,
moving Phan against the cage in time to recover. Late in the
round, St. Pierre pleads with Johnson to attempt one more takedown.
Instead, with 45 seconds left, Johnson swings for the fences
and keeps Phan on the run to end an epic battle.
The
fight had it all: takedowns, elbows, knees kicks, devastating
body blows and even a cut to Phan’s eye. Both corners claim
victory while the scores are being tabulated. Johnson walks away
with a split decision.
Phan
takes the difficult loss like a pro.
“I
do this because I love it,” he says.
Johnson’s
victory sets up a showdown with Brookins, his Team St. Pierre
stablemate, at “The Ultimate Fighter 12” Finale this
Saturday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
“I
gave them the key,” St. Pierre said, “but they opened
the door themselves.”
With
that, we can put to bed another season of “The Ultimate
Fighter.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Former
Rings foes come full circle
By Josh
Gross
ESPN.com
Dan Henderson's Next Fight
With 77 professional mixed martial arts bouts between them, Dan
Henderson and Renato Sobral have closed out their share of high-profile
fight nights.
On
Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, the veteran pair
will do so once again in the main event of Strikeforce's latest
offering on Showtime.
Regardless
of the outcome, which promoters say will determine the No. 1
contender in Strikeforce's light heavyweight division, both men
know they're tasked with a far easier challenge than the one
that faced them Feb. 26, 2000.
Competing
as undefeated talents yet to make a mark on a lost-in-the-wilderness
sport, Henderson and "Babalu" found themselves in the
finals of what would eventually be considered one of Japan's
most influential MMA events -- Rings' King of Kings 1999 32-man
tournament.
Neither
man necessarily expected to take the $200,000 prize when they
agreed to be part of a field that featured multiple former and
future champions of the sport's most prestigious organizations.
Nonetheless, there they were, inside Tokyo's packed Nippon-Budokan
arena, matched after already fighting twice that night and twice
more in the opening round a few months before in October, with
the opportunity to earn life-changing money.
"I
was kind of broke and still trying to make an Olympic team,"
Henderson said. "I needed the money, just the show-up money.
I didn't expect to win. With it being in Japan I didn't expect
the decisions to go my way."
Henderson's
MMA credentials consisted of two four-man tournament titles,
but he hadn't treated fighting seriously. His focus was wrestling,
so much so that before accepting the King of Kings invitation
he didn't spar any kickboxing.
Before he was striking with opponents in the U.S., Dan Henderson,
right, was relying on his wrestling to win bouts in Japan.
Sobral,
then a 24-year-old, 240-pound heavyweight, was happy just to
get a shot in the tournament. Promoters preferred his legendary
mentor, Marco Ruas, or well-known teammate, Pedro Rizzo. When
they couldn't participate, Rings looked to Babalu, honed in the
ways of Brazil's bare-knuckled brutality, who quickly obliged.
"To
be Brazilian and fight outside the country in Japan, that was
for people like Marco Ruas and Rickson Gracie," Sobral recounted.
If
something was on the line other than an adult-sized trophy and
oversized cardboard check, it hadn't crossed the fighters' minds
simply because implications of the two King of Kings tournaments
could not be known in advance. It's clear now that these events
helped establish a pecking order by which future rankings and
major fights would get made, just as Pride FC tournaments did
in subsequent years.
Rooted
in Japan's hard-style professional wrestling, Rings wasn't considered
legitimate until it ramped up the prize money and the quality
of fighters; it was the organizers' soon-to-be failed attempt
to inject Rings into a burgeoning Japanese fight landscape alongside
K-1 and Pride.
To
capture the tournament, which prohibited striking to the head
on the ground, a fighter was required to win five times in two
events spread over four months. The route to the championship
required three victories in a matter of hours. As Sobral and
Henderson stood across from one another, they'd already clocked
in a combined 45 minutes and 40 seconds of combat that night.
Henderson
was limping after tearing a knee ligament in the semifinal, a
controversial three-round split decision against future Pride
and UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. That came
on the heels of a 10-minute stretch in which the American, then
29, tackled heavyweight Gilbert Yvel 16 times in 10 minutes.
"With
the exception of fighting sick against Yuki Kondo [in 2004],
that was definitely my toughest night of fighting," Henderson
said.
Sobral's
effort included an armbar over Russian Mikhail Illoukhine and
decision against Japan's Kiyoshi Tamura. When he stepped in against
Henderson, both were undefeated. Both knew how much money was
on the line. Neither had any sense that winning and losing would
play such a large part in dictating the course of their careers.
Henderson
fought to avoid Sobral's submissions, making the championship
bout a slow affair.
"I
was tired. He was tired," said the 35-year-old Brazilian.
"We fought for money, but it was more. It was different
from today. It was more romantic."
Henderson,
the only man in Pride history to hold titles at 205 and 185 pounds,
earned a majority decision after two rounds, catapulting him
to a Japan-based career until the sport took off in America.
Sobral's
résumé is decidedly more nomadic, including stints
in UFC before he was ostracized in 2007 for holding on to a choke
for too long against David Heath.
"Everyone
wants to win lottery money, but who knows if lottery money will
be good for you?" Sobral said. "I can say it's been
an amazing journey for me. I have had ups and downs in my career."
Now
40, Henderson doesn't call to mind sepia-colored visions of the
night he went seven rounds against three dangerous opponents.
He didn't bother watching tape of the first bout as homework
for the second, since both fighters -- like the sport they compete
in -- are changed.
A
decade after bringing home an epic event, Henderson (25-8) and
Sobral (36-8) march on. Older. Wiser. Probably a step slower.
Yet the spirit that marked their first encounter remains strong.
"I
was pretty close to being considered the best in the world at
one point," said Henderson, who competes Saturday for the
first time since losing to Jake Shields in April. "I need
to get back in there and do it."
Josh
Gross covers MMA for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoshGrossESPN.
Source: ESPN
|
Paradise
Lost: FEG, DREAM, K-1 and Dynamite's Dying Love Story
by Dave
Walsh
To say that matters involving FEG have been touchy lately is
an understatement and a half; there have been rumors throughout
the year that FEG was having severe financial problems and that
there might even be a point where FEG would cut DREAM from their
umbrella and continue to promote K-1, their money-maker. Then
this summer there seemed be a light at the end of the tunnel
in regards to this whole mess when it was announced that FEG
had found a financial partner in PUJI, a Chinese investment bank.
The
money never came.
Then
it was that PUJI was going to start trickling money into FEG
in January of 2011 and that things for FEG might be a bit toned
down for the remainder of 2010. There were problems with organizing
DREAM shows and K-1 and K-1 MAX shows became last-minute affairs,
with the K-1 World Grand Prix moving to a smaller arena and MAX
running considerably less shows than any other year. Now all
eyes are on Dynamite!! 2011, which is already facing a ton of
problems. HDnet's Andrew Simon is confident in Dynamite!! 2011
happening and HDnet broadcasting the event, and I have to agree
with him; FEG is going to put on Dynamite!! by hook or by crook.
I do not share his optimism when it comes to the Japanese scene,
though. His point has been that there has been doom spelled out
for years now, and things keep chugging along. All good things,
though, don't last forever.
There
has been doubt circulating the past few weeks to the legitimacy
of PUJI and the deal itself, with many believing that the deal
will not see the light of day and the whole thing being a PR
stunt to distract everyone from the real problems. Most investment
banks go through a certain level of due diligence on investments,
and I'm just not sure if looking through FEG's books and seeing
a company that puts on giant shows that draws fans, ratings and
sponsors but somehow (...) is in the red is a sound investment.
That is, if PUJI is on the up-and-up, as there have always been
misgivings about Chinese investment banks over the past few years
with a pretty negative stigma on doing business with them.
To
be honest, when investigating what is going on with FEG right
now, it is clear that there is something very wrong. There are
fighters and employees who are unsure of what is going on or
are sure that the company is in dire straights, while others
are confident that the company will be fine. Fans don't want
to hear that there might not be a DREAM.17 or that this could
be the last K-1 World Grand Prix. The past day there has been
a lot more activity when it comes to doom and gloom talk, but
until we hear anything concrete it isn't fair to post further
rumors and kick sand in the face of the situation.
What
we can hope for right now is that FEG takes control of the situation
and releases some sort of statement, but knowing how Japanese
business works, admitting failure isn't an option at times.
Source: Head Kick Legend
|
Don't
Sleep on Strikeforce... At Least Not This Weekend
By E. Spencer
Kyte
I've been pretty critical of Strikeforce over the last year and
change, penning more than a few pieces that have questioned decisions
made by the San Jose-based organization. While I'm not about
to pull an about-face and declare Strikeforce a worthy challenger
to the mixed martial artsmega-power that is the Ultimate Fighing
Championship, I do want to advocate giving the sport's second
fiddle much more than a second thought this weekend.
Saturday
night, Strikeforce will go head-to-head with the UFC, as their
return to the cage in St. Louis was countered by the UFC with
the TUF 12 Finale from Las Vegas. Now, I understand that the
Showtime / SuperChannel option that offers Strikeforce via cable
isn't a part of your standard package the same way that Spike
TV is, but if you have the choice between the two, make like
K'naan and take a minute before making your final decision. Yeah
- I just referened K'naan... is there a problem?
While
the UFC is the iconic name in the sport and almost always wins
these head-to-head encounters with whoever they counter-punch
with programming decisions, the TUF 12 Finale doesn't hold a
candle to the card being offered by Strikeforce in St. Louis
and I wanted to make sure you were in the know. If you think
I'm just offering up some praise for the little engine that could,
check out the main event of the two cards and tell me which one
captures your interest more.
Strikeforce's
Saturday show will headlined by a light heavyweight meeting between
Dan Henderson and Renato "Babalu" Sobral, a rematch
of a fight that produced the first loss of Sobral's career and
a contest that will determine who will be the first to face Rafael
"Feijao" Cavalcante for the 205-pound title in 2011.
The
UFC is countering with Stephan Bonnar versus Igor Pokrajac. Let
me repeat that: Stephan Bonnar versus Igor Pokrajac is headlining
the TUF 12 Finale. Since there are a undoubtedly a number of
you wondering who Igor Pokrajac is right now, I think it is safe
to say that Strikeforce takes this one hands down. The rest of
their offering on Saturday night trumps the TUF 12 lineup too.
Depending
on who advances to the actual TUF final, that fight could hold
some interest, but on the whole, Strikeforce has a better televised
broadcast than their counterparts from Vegas. While Robbie Lawler
meeting Matt Lindland may not be a major middleweight battle
based on the rankings, it is a more competitive pairing than
Demian Maia meeting Kendall Grove, and there isn't a more explosive
encounter taking place all night than the fireworks display that
is bound to take place when Paul Daley and Scott Smith chuck
knuckles.
I
completely understand investing far more time, effort and attention
to the UFC most of the time; in whatever sport you're passionate
about, watching the best of the best do their thing always trumps
taking in the second-string equivalent, and MMA is not all that
different. That being said, a low-level UFC show isn't automatically
a better product just because it is the biggest brand in the
business, and this is one of those times.
Unfortunately,
the truth is that the TUF 12 Finale will far better numbers than
the Strikeforce show for no other reason than being a UFC show;
in terms of actual talent and level of competition, Henderson,
Sobral et al are head-and-shoulders above their UFC counterparts
on Saturday night. But Fedor Emelianenko is eons ahead of Kimbo
Slice in every category imaginable, except for the number of
viewers they drew to CBS...
Sad,
isn't it?
Source: The Province
|
If
K-1 has to do a pay-for-play deal for NYE, it would be disastrous
By Zach
Arnold
Japanese
MMA photographer Dan Herbertson dropped a big item this morning:
FEG
is paying to broadcast this year’s Dynamite!! on TBS. I
don’t have time to check right now but I believe this is
the first time.
I
was taken aback by this because this would be the ultimate story
of 2010 in the Japanese fight landscape if true. Later on, Dan
revised the item and found out from a source that K-1 and TBS
are currently negotiating the terms of their deal for New Year’s
Eve.
But
what would happen if K-1 was forced into a pay-to-play deal with
TBS for their New Year’s Eve event? Considering this a what-if
article.
It
would be devastating news that could very easily spell the end
of K-1 as we know it.
Pay-for-play
is something that we have seen done in recent years in Japan
with the smallish TV-Tokyo network. Promotions like All Japan
Pro-Wrestling, ZERO-ONE, Hustle, and Sengoku all paid for air
time on the smallest of the free-to-air broadcast networks in
Japan. None of those companies who bought time ended up making
any substantial progress from doing so. It’s (generally)
a money-losing concept.
In
essence, buying time from a broadcast network for a pay-to-play
transaction puts you in the same standing and regard as an infomercial.
Except, infomercials are mostly profitable. When I say that pay-for-play
puts you in the same standing, what I mean is that the TV network
is taking a check from you for air time and is taking zero risk.
You buy the time, you sell the advertising, you handle the matchmaking
(mostly), and the risk is on you.
Pay-for-play
situations on broadcast networks are extremely expensive, even
if we’re talking middle-of-the-night time buys. However,
what if your time buy is on a major television day like NYE in
Japan and it’s in ‘golden time’ (prime time)?
I asked one long-time office source in Japan to estimate to me
what kind of price tag it would be to buy time in such a slot
and the source estimated a price tag of $4 million USD.
For
the sake of argument, let’s assume that K-1 has to pony
up the cash and is $4 million USD in the hole. What about advertising?
K-1 will be forced to sell their own advertising and that is
simply not the company’s usual standard operating procedure.
There will be enormous stress placed on everyone working for
the company to not only lean harder on their current sponsors
but to also try to attract new sponsors within a month. To put
this into perspective, let’s look at how past NYE shows
worked on major TV platforms like Fuji TV and Tokyo Broadcasting
System. As a promoter, you work closely with a major sports TV
executive producer. You come up with a general frame work for
a card by mid-September, early October at the latest. You work
with one of the major ad agencies in Japan (Dentsu the largest,
followed by Hakuhodo and Asatsu) and give them about three months
to start selling ad time and attracting clients. The TV network
executives help shape a card that they think will draw the best
ratings and end up paying a rights fee to the promoter in exchange
for ownership rights to the footage and (sometimes) production.
In
a pay-for-play scenario, K-1 has to handle all of these aspects
and do so within a compressed time frame. Almost impossible to
achieve without financially taking a gigantic hit. In many respects,
K-1’s NYE 2010 event could end up as a much more costlier
version of DREAM where it’s on PPV to buy and a shortened
version on broadcast television with limited sponsorship support.
If
the ad agencies told Tokyo Broadcasting that there was enough
sponsor support/demand for K-1’s NYE show, the network probably
would continue doing business-as-usual with K-1.
On
pay-for-play time buys with broadcast networks, network support
for such programs (like infomercials) is very limited. Granted,
TBS would want to draw good ratings on NYE because NYE has become
the biggest day of the year for the ratings war in Japan. However,
if K-1 is paying them for the time and it’s a disaster,
TBS already got the money and can simply cut ties with K-1.
Without
the generous television money to back their show, K-1 would not
be able to pay for big-name talent to appear at their Saitama
Super Arena event. Not having stars on the show would mean a
show that attracts low ratings and that in turn would seal K-1’s
fate with Tokyo Broadcasting, if not Fuji TV as well.
If
K-1 has to buy time on Tokyo Broadcasting System, this will in
effect be the end of Kazuyoshi Ishii’s grand ‘pipeline
strategy’ plan. When PRIDE collapsed, K-1’s big strategy
to control the entire fight business in Japan was to control
the major broadcast networks. If you wanted to be on a network
(think: Yarennoka with former DSE staff), you had to work with
K-1 and do business on their own terms. K-1 collected the rights
fees from television and let the promoters collect whatever they
could for the live gate. It was a dominant position for them
to be in. It also kept the competition away from acquiring a
substantial television deal (ask Sengoku) and created a strangle
hold. However, that strangle hold is only as strong as the ratings
that K-1 attracts and their product has gone completely cold
with the public. Both their kickboxing and MMA properties have
failed to appeal to the Japanese television audience.
By
having to do a pay-for-play situation with Tokyo Broadcasting
System, K-1’s pipeline plan is killed. K-1 losing television
means significantly more than a vacuum being created. It would
mean that the fight business would encounter ‘ghost town’
status amongst television executives looking for programming
to attract ratings. When the Reconstruction period happened,
Rikidozan was the major star on Nippon TV. The next generation
was Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba. In the 90s, wrestling declined
and older TV executives who used to be big backers of the fight
game faded away from supporting the product. Newer executives
came into power and fewer of them have the same kind of sentimental
thoughts about fight programming that their predecessors had.
This lead to New Japan and All Japan airing on network TV at
2 AM in the morning. It led to a decline in interest for house
shows and ratings, resulting in a collapse of the pro-wrestling
industry. The same thing is happening for K-1 now and the erosion
process is very hard to stop, let alone reverse.
If
K-1 ended up doing a pay-for-play scenario for their NYE event
on Tokyo Broadcasting System, they would be paying for their
own corporate funeral — a very expensive one at that. The
funeral wouldn’t feature Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki
II, either.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Sam
Stout Ready to Sign Bout With Paul Kelly
By Kelsey
Mowatt
Canadian
lightweight Sam Stout is preparing to sign a bout agreement to
face Britain’s Paul Kelly, at UFC 126 on February 5th, which
will set in motion his second fight with a British competitor
in less than five months. Stout, who is coming off a split decision
win over the United Kingdom’s Paul Taylor on October 23rd,
expects Kelly to do the same.
“It
looks like I’ll be fighting Paul Kelly,” Stout (16-6-1)
told FCF today. “I just have to sign the bout agreement
and fax it back in. Then it will be official.”
While
both Kelly (11-3) and Taylor are two of Britain’s more accomplished
lightweights, and both have forged reputations for being resilient
and entertaining fighters, Stout believes the similarities end
there.
“I
think Taylor is a really good stand-up guy, a really good kickboxer;
he obviously has a long reach,” said Stout when asked to
compare the two fighters. “They do train together, so I’m
sure there’s going to be a few similarities but I think
Paul Kelly poses the biggest threat when it comes to his top
control, his ground-and-pound. That’s his biggest asset.”
While
Stout had to deal with Taylor’s 6’0 tall frame and
his reach advantage in their memorable October clash, Kelly matches
the Canadian’s height at 5’9.
“I
think he’s not as experienced as a kickboxer and he doesn’t
have that reach,” said Stout about Kelly, who is coming
off a TKO stoppage of T.J. O’Brien on November 20th. “Guys
with a long reach always give me a hard time so it will be nice
to not have to deal with that. But I think Kelly is a bit stronger;
he poses his own unique threats.”
The
decision win over Taylor left Stout’s 2010 record at 2-1,
as the Shawn Tompkins trained fighter earned a UD victory over
Joe Lauzon in January, before losing by split decision to Jeremy
Stephens at UFC 113 in May. Despite the fact that once again,
Stout was involved in an entertaining and competitive fight that
went to a narrow decision, the 26 year-old-fighter doesn’t
think a rematch with Taylor is in order.
“I
don’t think so,” Stout stated. “I know it was
a close fight but I feel like I won the fight. I’ve been
on both ends of close decisions and just because it was close
doesn’t automatically mean you get a rematch.”
“When
that fight was over I thought I won it decisively,” Stout
added. “But when I went back and watched it I saw it was
a lot closer than I originally thought. That’s what the
judges are there for. I think sometimes there’s too much
bitching and moaning about decisions. It happens; there’s
no point complaining about it.”
While
Stout will now focus his energy on the upcoming bout with Kelly
in Las Vegas, the London, Ontario resident is quick to concede
that he’s already looking forward to later in 2011, when
the UFC comes to Toronto for the first time.
“Definitely,”
said Stout. “It’s something I’ve never been able
to do. It will be a dream come true for me to fight in Toronto.
Through my whole career, all through my MMA career and kickboxing,
I’ve never really fought in Ontario. So I’m pumped
to get in there.”
Source:Full Contact Fighter
|
GSP’s
Jiu-Jitsu and his meeting with Roger Gracie
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
A Gracie Barra representative who spent years doing good service
for the team in major competitions, Bruno Fernandes heads a GB
branch in Montreal. Among his many students is the illustrious
Georges St.-Pierre, the welterweight champion of the UFC and
considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
In the following interview, Bruno speaks of how his black belt
GSP’s Jiu-Jitsu training is going, what they’re doing
to prepare to face Josh Koscheck at UFC 124, and how three-time
absolute world champion Roger Gracie helped in everything.
Tell
us a bit about how work is going up there in Canada…
I’ve
been here in Canada since 2005 and started teaching Jiu-Jitsu
a few years after my arrival. It was really rough because I was
studying at the time, I didn’t have an academy, and there
wasn’t much Gi Jiu-Jitsu around. But little by little I
put together a group of fighters, including George St.-Pierre.
We set up semi-private lessons. During this time, I also had
to move to Toronto, but when I got back to Montreal and life
slowed down a bit for me, I was able to open a Gracie Barra affiliate.
We’re about to complete one year and all is well. I already
have some students at a good level to compete in 2011 and I hope
to see them giving the others a hard time!
What’s
your relationship with Georges St.-Pierre like? How is his Jiu-Jitsu
training going?
GSP
already practiced Jiu-Jitsu before we met, despite the difficulties
in finding training. His first contact with the art was through
Wagnney Fabiano, who at the time was teaching here in Montreal.
After some time Georges started going to New York to train at
Renzo Gracie academy in Manhattan. That just illustrates how
determination is a quality vital to the success of a fighter.
Often he would drive from Montreal to New York at night, train
the whole day and return home driving. He always sought out the
best from each sport and the result is what we see today. He
always liked the gi. Coming from a karate background, he has
an enviable notion of discipline. GSP is always open to new techniques
to add to his game. He doesn’t think much about MMA when
he practices Jiu-Jitsu, just about improving his ground game.
When it gets close to fight time, then his training changes a
bit, adapting his game to the rules of the octagon. Although
he is known for his top game, he has a really good guard too.
The “problem” is that he always take his opponents
down, so it’s rare you’ll see him play guard in the
UFC.
Can
you tell us something about how he’s training Jiu-Jitsu
for his fight with Josh Koscheck. Is he putting a lot of emphasis
on his ground game?
A
lot. He’s been working a lot on his grappling, focusing
on controlling his opponent, keeping them in uncomfortable situations,
and calmly finishing. Roger Gracie’s visit here was perfect
because it’s precisely the type of game we expect him to
use. This Koscheck fight will impress a lot of people!
What
was the meeting between GSP and Roger Gracie like?
It
was very productive for both sides Roger stayed here a week accompanying
Georges’s training, including his boxing, wrestling, physical
conditioning, and muay thai. And Roger helped improve his ground
game even more, correcting minor details that will make a major
difference in this next fight.
Roger
conducted a seminar there. How was it?
Excellent.
It was the first time I had to turn people away because there
just wasn’t room on the mat. It was great to have someone
like Roger here to help me and convince my beginning students
of the importance of improving in Jiu-Jitsu and focusing on the
basics. Roger demonstrated in detail everything he puts to practice.
How
do you see the state of Jiu-Jitsu in Canada today?
Canada
is a sparsely populated country. To give you an idea, the population
of the second largest country in the world is smaller than that
of California, in the USA, alone. That makes it harder for Jiu-Jitsu
to spread, as having an academy in most cities is unviable. Of
course the cold here makes it hard to bring in qualified instructors.
But despite it all, I see Jiu-Jitsu growing a lot around these
parts and in a few years we’ll see Canadians on the winners’
stands at international competitions.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
A
Decade After Unlikely Win Launched Him, Dan Henderson Hopes for
Repeat
By Mike
Chiappetta
As the collision course that would ultimately pit Dan Henderson
against Renato "Babalu" Sobral neared impact in February
2000, Henderson was a man without expectation of victory. He
was too green, he was fighting in a tournament against men far
more experienced than him, and the field was simply too deep.
His only expectation was cold, hard cash.
"I
was just broke and I needed the money," Henderson told MMA
Fighting.
On
Dec. 4 when they rematch, Henderson's goals and intentions will
be quite a bit loftier.
"I
want to be the best in the world," he said.
That
change in philosophy and motivation came somewhere in the intervening
time, nearly 11 years. But his unlikely victory in the RINGS:
King of Kings tournament -- punctuated by a finals win over Sobral
-- surely helped plant the seeds for Henderson's rise as one
of the sport's best fighters over the last decade.
"It
was probably the biggest tournament ever at that time,"
Henderson recalled. "And it probably had one of the toughest
fields. I didn't really have a thought about winning. It was
open weight, it was in Japan, and I didn't think I could win
any decisions there. I was going to do my damndest to try, and
I did, but I didn't expect to win."
At
the time, Henderson was a man indulging in a part-time hobby.
He was still a competitive amateur wrestler, training in hopes
of qualifying for the 2000 Olympic games.
I
might not be as quick or whatever, but definitely I'm more skilled
and a lot wiser with everything.
-- Dan Henderson It was a different world then; it was nearly
impossible to make a living as a fighter, the sport had made
barely a dent in the US sports culture, and Henderson decided
to enter the tournament mostly because of the guaranteed show
money.
Henderson
was 29 years old at the time, with a 4-0 record when he entered
the open-weight tournament, which featured several fighters who
are still well known today, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira,
Alistair Overeem and Renzo Gracie, along with Maurice Smith,
who had captured the UFC heavyweight title two years prior, and
Dave Menne, who would go on to win the UFC middleweight championship.
Henderson
won his first two qualifying matches on October 28, 1999, advancing
to the final, where he would be forced to win three matches in
one night. He captured the first two, defeating two heavyweights:
slugger Gilbert Yvel, and ground wizard Nogueira.
For
the championship match, he faced the then-unbeaten Sobral, who
was 12-0. The title fight went the distance and ended in a unanimous
decision for Henderson. Winning three times in one night is a
grueling task in itself, but just as impressive is the fact that
Henderson won the final after tearing the MCL in his knee during
his semifinal bout against Nogueira.
"The
match was somewhat uneventful," Henderson said. "I
controlled the action, stopped takedowns and did more damage,
but I remember being really tired in the final after going through
the first two fights. I think I had about 20 minutes to recover
before I fought Babalu. It's mostly memorable because it was
the finals of a tournament and I won a lot of money."
Henderson
and Sobral both expect the sequel to be far more interesting
and explosive than the original, which for better or worse launched
him as a major force in the sport. The rematch takes place as
the main event of Strikeforce: St. Louis at the Scottrade Center.
I
know 40-year-old me would kick my 30-year-old ass right now.
-- Dan Henderson A lot has changed in 10+ years. Both men have
worn gold; Henderson was a two-division champ in PRIDE, while
Sobral was briefly the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.
Both men have rounded out their skill sets; Henderson is now
better known as a striker than a wrestler, while Sobral has added
effective striking of his own to go with his jiu-jitsu pedigree.
Back
then, though, Henderson would have never though he would get
here. At the time, his body was so banged up from wrestling and
fighting that he thought he'd only compete in MMA for a year
or two before calling it quits.
"I
was dealing with a lot of injuries trying to make the Olympic
team in 2000," he said. "It was just because of the
quantity of competitions I had. I'd get hurt, and you've got
to compete through the pain, which makes injuries worse sometimes.
But when I quit wrestling in 2001, I started feeling better.
Ten years later, I'm still fighting."
Henderson
does so with the idea of getting another championship around
his waist, though he says he'd also be content with major fights
going forward. He says the possibility of fighting MMA legend
Fedor Emelianenko is "still intriguing" and would be
"an honor," and a future date against Strikeforce light
heavyweight champ Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante "sounds
like it would be a fun one."
But
after the seven-month layoff between his fight with Jake Shields
and the Babalu fight, Henderson also has another, more simple
goal of being more active. He promises that he'll fight again
in March and then June.
Now
40 years old, Henderson knows that part of holding off Father
Time is staying active and training smart. It's experience, not
age, that has changed him from the fighter who fought Sobral
so many years ago, in a place so far away. Both he and Sobral
have evolved so much, they're hardly recognizable from the undefeated
pair who fought in 2000.
"I
might not be as quick or whatever, but definitely I'm more skilled
and a lot wiser with everything," he said. "I know
40-year-old me would kick my 30-year-old ass right now."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Couture
didn't like 'Rampage' decision at UFC 123; Judges still an issue
Randy
Couture has seen a lot of fighting over the years and while the
scoring system has improved, the 13-year veteran of mixed martial
arts feels like the quality of MMA judges is still a work in
progress. He thought the Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
split decision win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 123 was a prime
example.
"They
see some superficial things like Rampage moving forward the whole
time in that fight and they attribute that to him winning those
rounds," Couture told Paul Howard of ESPNRadio1100 in Las
Vegas. "And technically that's not what was happening. It
sucks to be a fighter and have that happen to you."
UFC
president Dana White came out strongly in support of Jackson
in that fight. Couture disagreed.
"I
think it's a huge issue. It's a lot different than judging boxing
and unfortunately a lot of judges transferred over," Couture
said. "They don't understand a lot of the intricacies of
our sport. Who's controlling the tempo of the fight. Who's actually
technically scoring."
Veteran
judge Cecil Peoples was mentioned as an example. Peoples has
been on what seemed to be the wrong side of several close decisions
over the last few years. He also exacerbated fans' angst when
he decided to make a statement about not scoring leg kicks following
the UFC 104 Machida-Mauricio Rua fight.
"Unfortunately
guys like Peoples, and some of these guys have been around for
a long time, (you'd) think they'd have figured it out by now,"
Couture said. "I think there has to be some sort of education
or certification program for these judges to get them up to speed
on the criteria and what they're looking at to the judge these
fights."
There
are some schools popping up, but more for the guys in the cage
or ring.
Yahoo!
Sports' Kevin Iole has a feature on veteran ref Herb Dean, who
has opened his own MMA Referee School in Pasadena, Ca.
The
judges for these major fights could also get a little help from
the promotions. We've said it for years that it's time to make
all main events five round, regardless of whether there's a title
on the line. If they're not for a title, most main events have
title implications. Why not give the fighters a better chance
to state their case for a win and the judges more material to
work with?
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Peinado
pleased with training with Demian and impressed by Cigano
One
of Alliance’s competition wizards, Brazilian national No-Gi
champion Antonio Peinado helped Demian Maia prepare for this
coming Saturday’s bout with Kendall Grove at the grand finale
of the The Ultimate Fighter reality show’s twelfth season.
“It was really cool and a new experience for me. Demian
has a professionalism about him that I’ve never witnessed
before. He’s very dedicated in training and I feel we did
good work on the Jiu-Jitsu side of things. He comes from a Jiu-Jitsu
background and he’s stuck with it,” he tells GRACIEMAG.com.
“I
can talk about Jiu-Jitsu because that’s what I know. Demian
won’t have too much trouble with Kendall on the ground.
I feel he has the best ground game in the UFC and I can tell
you he’s sharp,” he adds.
Besides
Demian, Peinado got to train with another fighter on the UFC
roster during his stay in Bahia, Junior Cigano, who is scheduled
to challenge Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight belt. Cigano
is known for his knockout, but Peinado was surprised by the ground
skills wielded by the boxing specialist.
“Cigano
is a phenomenon. I heard he’s only been training boxing
for five years, so things won’t be much different on the
ground. He’s also very professional and very dedicated.
He’s a brown belt, and he showed himself to be very skillful
when we trained together. Cigani is a dangerous guy, he could
even compete,” he says in analysis.
Peinado
enjoyed the experience and hopes to get more involved in the
MMA world.
“I
learned a lot and was impressed with the professionalism of the
athletes and coach Luiz Dórea. It made want to fight MMA
some day, and it was an experience out of this world. I hope
I contributed something to Demian and that he wins by submission,”
he says in closing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Michael
McDonald Leading The Next Generation Into The UFC
Michael McDonald has achieved a tremendous amount of success
in his mixed martial arts career, especially considering he’s
only 19 years old. In three years of professional competition,
he’s amassed an 11-1 record, and is already fighting for
the most prominent fight promotion on the planet.
The
only thing more impressive than mounting such a successful salvo
so early in his career is his demeanor. Talking to McDonald,
he presents a maturity beyond his years.
“I
chose a hard life,” said McDonald on MMAWeekly Radio recently.
“When you’re well known, when you’re famous, when
you got things that other people want, people listen to you a
lot more.”
That
observation isn’t without purpose, something that McDonald
feels he has by choosing fighting as his profession.
“It
makes me more able to help people, to plant seeds, and bring
more people to God and let them hear my words more clearly. I
think that’s why He put me in this position,” McDonald
explained.
“I
do want a hard life, I do, because people with hard lives, those
are people that other people look up to because they take a load
that’s too hard for them.”
Not
exactly what you’d expect from a typical 19-year-old American,
especially one that has chosen beating people up as an integral
part of his job description.
It
is just part of McDonald’s mental make-up that started long
ago.
“I
wasn’t always that kid that wanted to grow up and be a fighter.
I was never roughhousing. I was never fighting in school,”
he recalled. “I liked to be alone, play video games. I’ve
always been an athletic nerd. It was never something where I
just woke up and ‘I’m gonna be a fighter today.’
It just kind of gradually happened.
“I’ve
always been the kind of guy that I could completely excel at
school and make it real easy, but I always wanted to go do the
athletic thing.”
“Doing
the athletic thing” is something that he has excelled at.
He has never gone to a decision in any of his 12 professional
bouts, and he has lost only once, to former Palace Fighting Championships
bantamweight champion Cole Escovedo. He later avenged that loss,
taking the title, and moving on to World Extreme Cagefighting.
He
made an immediate splash, submitting Clint Godfrey in the first
round at WEC 52. Now, with the merger of the WEC into the UFC,
McDonald will next show his wares on the biggest stage in the
world.
He
suffered a hand injury in the Godfrey fight in November, but
feels he’s ready for the jump to the UFC and will be well
prepared once he’s healed up.
“I’m
a realist… I honestly believe I’m thee best striker
in my weight class in the world,” McDonald assessed. “Me
going into the UFC, I need to work a lot more on my wrestling,
a lot more on my jiu-jitsu (though he holds a brown belt in the
art), because anyone with a brain isn’t going to want to
stand in front of me and throw punches for any more than one
round.”
He’s
not quite sure when he’ll be back in action, but he’s
hoping for something around March of next year. McDonald does
have someone in mind, however, if UFC matchmaker Joe Silva would
care for any ideas.
“I
think it would be extremely fun to fight Eddie Wineland,”
he said.
Wineland
is a former WEC bantamweight champion, currently riding a three-fight
winning streak. He’s known for an aggressive style, both
on the feet and on the mat.
Whether
that bout comes to fruition or not remains to be seen, but if
McDonald continues the explosive growth of his first three years
as a professional, UFC fans should be prepared to see him in
the Octagon for a long time to come.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dana
White Expects The Lighter Weights To Set The Bar In The UFC
Performance
pays off in the UFC as evident by both the bonus structure and
the recent talks by UFC president Dana White as fighters are
being judged with every fight they take in the Octagon.
Many
jaws dropped in the industry when the man with the most infamous
slam over the last couple of years, Gerald Harris, was released
from the UFC following a loss in his last fight. Prior to that
fight, Harris had gone 3-0 in the UFC with all three being finishes,
but everyone is on notice now that you’re only as good as
you’re last fight.
The
pressure may soon ratchet up even more with the WEC’s influx
into the UFC, and the ever-exciting featherweights and bantamweights
start to get their time in the spotlight.
The
WEC has produced some of the most exciting fights, highlight
reel knockouts, and wildest submissions the sport has seen over
the last few years, and many expect them to come to the UFC on
day one and start taking a lot of the bonus money home with them
on fight night.
White
is more than happy to cut checks to all the lighter weight fighters
who come in and put on a show.
“Good,
I hope they take every one of the (expletive) bonuses. I’m
hoping these lighter guys are going to come in and set the bar,”
White recently told MMAWeekly.com.
The
level of anticipation is at a fever pitch to see just what the
best of the best at 145 pounds and 135 pounds can do in the UFC,
and money can be an even greater motivator. At UFC 123 recently,
the promotion handed down $80,000 to each of the bonus winners
including “Fight of the Night,” “Submission of
the Night,” and “Knockout of the Night.”
Performances
will definitely pay off now, and whether it’s the biggest
fighters at heavyweight or even the guys competing at 170 pounds,
White knows that the other weight classes are being put on notice
to fight fast and fight hard, or the little guys are going home
with the money.
“The
bigger guys are going to be like ‘(expletive), there’s
another featherweight on the card, we’re screwed,’”
White joked.
The
first featherweights and bantamweights from the WEC will begin
to appear with next weekend’s “Ultimate Fighter Season
12? finale.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Paul
Daley Is A Scott Smith Fan, But Plans To Knock Him Out
As
Paul Daley gets ready for his return to Strikeforce on Dec. 4,
he’s entering the fight with Scott Smith under a much different
mindset than he did when he made his infamous exit from the UFC
in a fight against Josh Koscheck.
Daley
actually likes his opponent this time around.
The
British heavy hitter is no stranger to pre-fight hype and some
good old fashioned trash talk when the moment presents itself,
but Daley is actually a fan of his opponent in this fight.
“Scott
is one of those guys that I used to watch back in the day, because
of his game, he comes out and fights. He has that attitude that
I admire and you know when he is in a fight it is going to be
an exciting fight,” Daley said about his opponent. “The
dude knocks people out, a man after my own heart. He likes to
go in there and leave people lying on the floor, receiving oxygen.
It is going to be a great fight. I have trained hard. I expect
it to be a short but exciting fight.”
That
change of mentality is something that Daley believes actually
plays into his favor. In many past bouts, the venom between he
and his opponents has interfered with his mindset going into
the fight, but he actually prefers to admire his opponent as
opposed to despising them.
“It
makes it a more fun fight. A lot of the fights I’ve been
in, in the past, have been (more) exciting, where I’m actually
relaxed, the fights where I’m actually a fan of the person
that I’m fighting because I feel like I’m familiar
with them from watching a lot of their fights,” said Daley.
“I know how they operate, and I’m going into that fight
with a lot of knowledge on that person, rather than someone that
I don’t admire and don’t really pay much attention
to.”
Smith
has been known throughout his career as just the fighter Daley
described him as. He is an exciting striker with knockout power,
and one undeniable characteristic that simply cannot be taught
in the gym.
Scott
Smith doesn’t understand the meaning of the word quit.
From
his bounce back punch to knockout Pete Sell in the UFC to his
undying attitude that saw him hand Cung Le the first professional
loss in his MMA career, Smith has proven time and time again
that even 10 seconds left on the clock may be just enough for
him to land the shot that brings the fight back into his win
column.
Daley
is well aware of Smith’s improbable comebacks, but doesn’t
plan on being an addition to his list of accolades.
“It
is something I have looked at in his past fights. He’s had
some crazy fights where he comes back Rocky style, but I am very
good at finishing fights,” said Daley. “When I hit
people they stay hit. Both of us are knockout punchers, so from
my point of view there has to be some caution to the way I approach
things compared to the way I approach a standard fight.
“There
are some tactics that I have been working on because of Smith’s
fighting style. I have been working everything, but I am slightly
more cautious about working on other things when it comes to
stand-up.”
If
Daley can put Smith down, he plans on making him stay down, and
then they can shake hands and be friends again after the fight.
Until then, Daley will look at Smith as enemy number one as he
looks to get in Strikeforce title contention with a win.
The
dueling knockout artists meet on Dec. 4 in St. Louis as the next
Strikeforce offering on Showtime.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
53: Henderson vs. Pettis Fight Card Finalized
WEC
53, WEC 53 Horizontal Poster, is set for Dec. 16 in Glendale,
Ariz., in the Phoenix area.
A
lightweight title fight between champion Ben Henderson and challenger
Anthony Pettis headlines the WEC 53 fight card. Bantamweight
champion Dominick Cruz defends his title against Scott Jorgensen
in the co-main event.
“This
event will go down as one of the most important in the history
of the lighter weight classes,” WEC General Manager Reed
Harris said. “The winner of Henderson and Pettis will fight
for the UFC lightweight title next year, while the winner of
Cruz-Jorgensen will immediately become the UFC bantamweight champion.
The stakes have never been higher.”
As
the anticipation builds for the Dec. 16 event, WEC on Monday
confirmed the remaining bouts for this historic card in Arizona.
The
fights are: Chris Horodecki vs. Donald Cerrone, Kamal Shalorus
vs. Bart Palaszewski, Danny Downes vs. Tiequan Zhang, Shane Roller
vs. Jamie Varner, Ivan Menjivar vs. Brad Pickett, Ken Stone vs.
Eddie Wineland, Will Kerr vs. Danny Castillo, Yuri Alcantara
vs. Ricardo Lamas and Chris Cariaso vs. Renan Barao.
“Each
of these fights has added importance,” Harris said. “All
of these competitors want to prove that they are the best in
the world and each wants to head to UFC in 2011 riding momentum.
We expect some explosive fights at Jobing.com Arena on Dec. 16.”
WEC
53: Henderson vs. Pettis will be televised nationally live on
Versus beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dean
makes strides towards officials’ growth
Officials
are important in every sport, but they have an additional significance
in combat sports. A mistake by an umpire in a baseball game may
cost a team a win, but a mistake by a referee in mixed martial
arts can have much more dire consequences.
MMA
has grown so rapidly, however, that mistakes by referees are
more and more commonplace. And that’s not a good thing.
While
many fans are outraged over what they perceive as a lack of quality
judging, the shallow referee pool is perhaps the biggest issue
facing the sport.
Mixed martial arts' premiere official, Herb Dean, is training
the next generation of the Octagon's third men.
“Definitely,
we need a lot more [good] referees,” Ultimate Fighting Championship
president Dana White said.
One
of the two most well-known referees in the sport’s brief
history, along with “Big” John McCarthy, Herb Dean
is trying to address White’s concern.
Dean
is a terrific referee; try to remember the last time you saw
Dean make a significant mistake and you’ll realize just
how good he is. He gets it right, consistently, more than anyone
in the game, whether that means knowing when to stop a fight,
picking the right time to stand the fighters up or giving a grappler
time to maneuver for a submission.
A
former fighter with a black belt in jiu-jitsu and a 2-3 pro-MMA
record, Dean has begun a school to train referees and judges,
the MMA Referee School, in Pasadena, Calif.
The
school is certified by the Association of Boxing Commissions
and recently graduated its first class. The second session will
be held Jan. 8 in Pasadena, Calif.
“The
sport is growing and there are so many fight cards being held
all over the place and there is always a need for additional
good officials,” said Dean, who was trained to officiate
by Larry Landless and began refereeing in 1999 in King of the
Cage. “There’s no such thing as too many good officials
and even the officials who are currently working need to consistently
work to make sure they’re up to date with the techniques
that are being used.”
A
lot of boxing referees are interested in working in MMA, as well.
And while Dean welcomes them, he said it’s important to
note that the sports are vastly different and just because one
has a keen understanding of boxing and its rules doesn’t
mean that it will apply to MMA.
As
a result, Dean stresses MMA technique and said anyone who wants
to become a referee has to understand all aspects of the fight
game, not just striking.
Dean
applauded referee Josh Rosenthal’s decision not to stop
the Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin heavyweight title fight in the
first round at UFC 116 in July. He said Rosenthal allowed the
fight to continue despite the fact that Carwin was in a dominant
position and pounding on Lesnar because he understood the sport
and the way Lesnar was trying to move to defend himself.
“Knowing
when to stop a fight is very difficult and it’s not like
I can tell them, ‘After a certain number of blows, stop
it,’ ” Dean said. “Every situation is different.
We’re trying to judge intelligent defense. Josh saw what
Brock was doing with his feet. Even though he was covering up,
he was using his feet to try to create a better position and
Josh noticed that and understood that Brock was looking to do
something to deal with the position he was in and solve the problem.
“When
I was working the [B.J. Penn-Diego Sanchez] fight [for the lightweight
title at UFC 107], I was close to stopping it in the first round
because Diego was taking a lot of punishment. But Diego was always
doing something to better his position and so I let it go on.”
In
both cases, the referee was correct. Lesnar survived Carwin’s
first-round onslaught and defended his title with a second-round
submission. Penn defeated Sanchez, but Sanchez made it into the
fifth round before the fight was stopped.
Dean
also teaches judging, emphasizing the five scoring criteria:
Effective striking, effective grappling, cage control, aggression
and defense. And though some MMA purists don’t want to hear
it, effective striking is the top criteria a judge uses when
scoring a round.
So,
in a fight that pits a striker against a submission expert, the
striker has a built-in advantage. Judges are taught to look for
damage caused by strikes, first and foremost.
“If
one guy spends five minutes almost knocking the other guy out
and, in another round, the other guy spends five minutes almost
submitting the guy, let me ask you a question: At the end of
that time, who would you rather be?” Dean said. “[Causing]
damage is worth more.”
Dean
takes the would-be officials through all aspects of refereeing
and judging in the two-day seminar. Afterward, he takes them
out to help him at live events and then aids them in working
amateur bouts.
Slowly
but surely, Dean is improving the sport he loves, not only by
continually officiating at a world-class level but by sharing
his knowledge, as well. That, ultimately, may be his biggest
contribution.
“I
see [referees] all the time who don’t know the rules, who
are afraid to make a decision and who just don’t know the
fight game,” White said. “They’re not in control.
Herb Dean is the best referee in the world and I think he’s
the best referee there ever was. He knows the game, he knows
the rules and he makes clear-cut decisions. I would be happy
if he refereed every fight.”
That’s
impossible, but hopefully, he can have the same impact upon the
sport as a person who trains officials as he has as an official
himself.
Long
term, the best thing he could do for MMA is to create dozens,
if not hundreds, of Herb Dean clones.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Amilcar
Alves focused for his UFC return
Amilcar
Alves signed with UFC after eight consecutive wins, most of them
on the first round, but the big resting time wasn’t a good
thing for his debut, when he was defeated by Mike Pierce. Getting
a second chance on the event, with a bout scheduled for January
22 against Charlie Brenneman, the athlete of Nova União
talked to TATAME and analyzed the game of his opponent, revealing
a special dedication on his Wrestling. “I’ve been correcting
many positions and I can assure you that, if he makes a mistake,
I’ll take him down and put my Jiu-Jitsu to work”, guarantees
Amilcar, promising to seek the victory to keep representing Brazil
on Ultimate.
How
are things for your return to UFC?
I’m
not training hard for my next fight yet, but I’ve been helping
my friends who have scheduled fights and, by doing that, I can
see my mistakes.
Are
you focusing on a specific area?
I’m
training wrestling three times a week. I’m having the support
of the Cuban Pedro and I’m feeling safer now… I’ve
been correcting many positions and I can assure you that, if
he makes a mistake, I’ll take him down and put my Jiu-Jitsu
to work.
Did
your debut experience motivate you for it?
For
sure, but I can’t said I hasn’t been warned about it.
Dedé and Marlon pushed me all the way and I wasn’t
able to realize that it would be important so that I could use
my game plan.
What
do you know about your opponent’s game? What are his strong
points?
He’s
a wrestler, but for I’ve seen, he likes to exchange a bit…
A little bit unorthodox, but he likes it (laughs). That’s
why he becomes dangerous, you can never predict where the coups
will come from. I need to be alert all the time. It’s dangerous
because, at the same time he likes to clinch to try a takedown,
he also works on the clinch with some knees. I need to be careful,
fight on my own timing and not get in his craziness.
Will
your game plan be to use your wrestling skills to keep the fight
standing and use you Muay Thai game?
I’m
training wrestling so I can play my game. But, of course that
if I’m very much comfortable and he opens me some space
I’ll take him down and work my Jiu-Jitsu. But we all know
that, on the critical moments, what leads us is our strong point,
so next week I’ll come back to Muay Thai trainings with
Johnny Eduardo. He has an excellent sight and reading of the
fights, so I have to use that experience the most I can. As in
any fight, it’s 50-50, but I’ll do my best to get off
there with a win for my gym and to Brazil.
What
do you expect of your future on UFC? Do you see this as a critical
fight for your staying on the event?
I
can only thank for the opportunity I’ve had. In there it’s
a real war, and the best are there. And I don’t want ever
to leave there, so I have to do my best always. Any mistake I
make I can ruin my own dream. My journey there, my behavior on
the fights is what can make things happen. I don’t want
to let my coaches, friends and the Brazilians, who cheer for
me, down.
Source: Tatame
|
ADCC
might return to Brazil in 2011
Eight
years after its unique edition in Brazil, ADCC, main No Gi event
on earth, might return to Brazil next year, as informed by Wagner
Gomes, secretary of ADCC in Brazil. “There’s the possibility
that we bring world to Brazil, probably in September. It still
depends on sponsorships and a good project for the International
Committee, but they’ve already said we’re on it”,
tells Wagner, on the chat that you can check below.
What
are the expectations for the trials of the next edition of ADCC?
The
trials for ADCC have started in 2010… There were trials
in Croatia and the first round of the American’s trial,
and some circuits in Europe, but everybody’s focusing on
the Brazilian’s trials, where the best athletes of the world
will be. This year, the competition will be greater due to the
growth of ADCC, and the great opportunities given to the champions
of 2009’s edition, in Barcelona, as Braulio Estima, Fabricio
Werdum, Pablo Popovitch and Rafael Mendes, who has ministered
many seminars and has taught Sheik Tahnoon, some champions of
ADCC has begun their careers on MMA, ADCC is a great door for
grapplers.
When
the Brazilian trial will happen?
The
trial is scheduled for April 30th and 1st of May in 2011. On
the first day there’ll be the qualifying rounds, and on
the second the semifinals and finals. We’re thinking about
not having the trial in Rio, due to the lack of sponsorship.
There’re many cities and new partners are looking for us
and opening different doors for us. Until the beginning of January
of 2011 we’ll pick a city to host the trials. Our trial
can’t have more than 450 athletes, for us to guarantee the
quality of the event. Unlike 2009, we’ll begin with the
more numerous divisions, which probably will be the 77kg (169lbs)
division, and then we’ll go for the girls and then the other
weight divisions. We’ll set a schedule predicting the beginning
of each division, because the timing depends on the overtime,
which is always unpredictable.
How
will be the new weighting thing?
Differently
from the previous years, the weighting will be on the same day
as the fights. On the beginning of each division, the athletes
can check their weight on the qualifying or on the semifinals
and finals. In case the athlete is heavier than his division
he’ll be disqualified. We’ll have two scales so that
the athletes can check their weight.
Will
the event bring some news?
Like
what we did in 2007, we’ll give certificates to all athletes
that join the trials of 2011, independently of the result. We’ll
have two opportunities in 2011: one still is a secret, and the
other is that there’s the possibility of the world to happen
in Brazil, probably in September. That still depends on sponsorship
and a good project for the International Committee, but they’ve
said we’re on it. We have this new layout on our website,
www.adccbrazil.com.br, with all information about ADBB since
its first edition, and you can check the results, the fights
on the keys and World of 2009, besides other information about
ADCC, like rules, articles, federations… To know more about
it, dial (+55 21) 7864-2029 (id 10*2001), or get in touch with
me via email: wagnergomes@adccbrazil.com.br.
Source: Tatame
|
Strikeforce:
Matt Lindland Says Win Over Robbie Lawler Makes Him Top 10 Again
For
Matt Lindland, experience is key.
The
mixed martial arts veteran is gearing up for his 30th professional
career fight, and with that tally comes a wealth of knowledge
about the intricacies of the sport; a multitude of ins and outs
with various tricks of the trade.
This
is one thing no one can take away from Lindland. The man has
seen a lot and done more than most. Over the past 13 years, he’s
fought the likes of Murilo Bustamante, Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson, and Fedor Emelianenko. This kind of resume says something
about a guy – he’s got the knowledge to get the job
done.
The
next task in that job is the handling of another MMA veteran
in “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler. A career man of nine years,
Lawler stands as the younger competitor in the match-up, but
Lindland recognizes that his opponent also comes with a good
deal of “know-how” in the sport.
“I’m
looking forward to fighting Robbie,” Lindland said. “He’s
a young talented guy. He’s been in the sport as long as
I have, so he’s got a ton of experience.”
No
matter the amount of respect he has for Lawler, Lindland still
sees this fight as a steppingstone towards a greater good. He
seeks a return to title town. Gold hardware is a must for the
veteran, and his opinion of being a Top 10 fighter leads him
to believe he is set on the path to becoming a champion.
“I
think I’m still one of the top contenders in this sport,
a Top 10 guy,” he said. “Of course, I lost to the champion,
‘Jacare’ (Ronaldo Souza), and I think this is a great
path back to that title contention. A win against Robbie certainly
solidifies me in the Top 10.”
With
a respectable record of 22-7, Lindland makes a strong argument
for being in the upper echelon of middleweights in the world.
Although he is 1-2 in his last three fights, his last performance,
a third-round TKO win over Kevin Casey, showed that he is still
not done in the fight game.
Robbie
Lawler would, obviously, be an even greater test for Lindland.
Many would argue that, as in this fight, Lindland is at a disadvantage
right off the bat. Lawler is younger, faster, stronger, and has
a scary stand-up arsenal.
All
that being said, he still recognizes the dangers of going to
the canvas with “Ruthless.”
“People
see him as a big striker and a brawler, but the guy is well-rounded,”
Lindland said. “He knows how to fight on his feet, he knows
how to wrestle, he knows how to fight on the ground. So, I gotta
be prepared for all aspects of the sport.”
Lindland
will truly look to impose his will against Lawler. In this fight,
he believes it will be a battle of wills. Whoever has the edge
in that war will likely be the victor.
“If
I had my way, I’d like to put Robbie on his back and pound
a hole in his head,” said Lindland. “I’m sure
Robbie would like to try and keep it on his feet and put me to
sleep standing up, so I really think it’s about whoever
can impose their will.”
In
comparison, it all goes back to the experience factor, Lindland’s
13 years to Lawler’s nine. It’s this edge that remains
as Lindland’s key, apart from the desire to impose his skill
set on his opponent on fight night.
“I
think I’m a little wiser,” he said, comparing himself
to Lawler. “I wouldn’t argue with people who say the
guy is athletic. He’s got speed, he’s got power. I’m
gonna have to use superior positioning, conditioning, and just
the knowledge of the sport, and put him in a position he’s
not comfortable in.”
The
truth is, a mixture of both experience and will is what will
open the gates to victory. Both of these fighters are hungry
enough to beat on each other, but the question remains: which
fighter will utilize his “know-how” enough to come
out the winner in St. Louis?
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Twitter
fans sway White on Lesnar fight
It
has been about a month since Brock Lesnar went from being the
most physically prominent force in UFC history to an all-but-invisible
fighter.
One
would expect by now, with so many pay-per-view main events to
fill and barely enough headliners to fill them, the company would
have a good idea of when their biggest drawing card will fight
next.
But
according to UFC president Dana White, right now there are no
answers as to whom Lesnar, who lost the UFC heavyweight title
to Cain Velasquez on Oct. 23, will meet.
“I
haven’t talked with him since the fight,” said White.
While
in Germany promoting UFC 122 a couple weeks ago, White said what
was expected by most: The fight that makes the most sense for
Lesnar is a third meeting with archrival Frank Mir.
Almost
as soon as that statement made its way to cyberspace, several
MMA message boards suggested people flood White’s Twitter
account with messages saying they didn’t want to see that
trilogy play out.
“I’ve
never gotten such a negative response to any fight,” said
White of the immediate Twitter messages.
So,
White changed his mind on the fight.
In
talking about the change, White said he did not listen to the
Internet but rather to his followers on Twitter, although it’s
hard to really separate the two.
“I
usually don’t gauge things by the Internet,” said White.
“The Internet is [expletive] stupid. My Twitter, I do. On
my Twitter, there are 1.2 million people that care about this
thing and everything else, and you don’t get the goofy [expletive]
that you get on the Internet.”
White
unabashedly will tell anyone who will listen that UFC’s
goal is to make fights that people want to see the most. It’s
the reason that Josh Koscheck, who has done an incredible role
as antagonist to Georges St. Pierre on the current season of
“The Ultimate Fighter,” is getting a welterweight title
shot on Dec. 11.
Koscheck’s
campmate, Jon Fitch, is on a five-fight win streak that includes
beating Thiago Alves and Paulo Thiago, both of whom beat Koscheck,
and is generally regarded as St. Pierre’s top contender.
He’s got no title shot in sight, but there is public interest
in Koscheck challenging.
The
idea of making the most marketable matches led UFC to set a company
pay-per-view record in 2009 with close to eight million buys,
a record that will be broken again this year, as the UFC should
finish in the nine million total buys range after the St. Pierre
vs. Koscheck fight. Much of that success comes from listening
to the audience and having a feel for the matches people want
to see most.
But
MMA also has a vocal hardcore minority that doesn’t always
agree with the bigger audience. In the case of Lesnar-Mir III,
even if the hardcores do speak for the average fan, they’re
not looking at the long-term picture that the promoters must
consider.
Currently,
there is no viable, big-money alternative to Lesnar-Mir III.
That’s why White pulling back on a fight that likely would
do more business than any other on the books so far for 2011
is so perplexing.
If
Twitter was prominent in 2006, White would have been flooded
with negative remarks about Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock, as insiders
knew Shamrock was past his prime. The UFC took a beating on blogs
and message boards for making the match. But reality was it set
a new business record and to this day, their final meeting –
the single most heavily criticized UFC match in history –
is still the second-most-watched MMA fight on cable TV.
That
third fight, in Oct. 2006, beat several games of that year’s
World Series in the coveted 18-34 male demographic, a statistic
that led to a breakthrough in mainstream sports media coverage
because the numbers were so impressive that many felt the sport
could no longer be ignored.
Quite
frankly, if White had listened to the hardcore fans in 2008,
he likely never would have signed Lesnar to a contract to begin
with because of the issues they had about Lesnar’s pro-wrestling
past.
Yet
as difficult as he can be to work with, Lesnar has been a key
element in the growth of the sport over the past three years.
The second Lesnar-Mir fight, which did have the advantage of
being the main event of UFC 100 and promoted as a special event,
did more than 1.6 million buys on pay-per-view, a number far
beyond anything any sport but boxing has ever done. Only three
boxing events – Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Oscar De La Hoya and
Mike Tyson fights with Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis –
have topped it.
Lesnar
and Mir are even in their series with a win each. A third meeting,
without the title at stake, unlikely would come close to the
numbers their second fight pulled, but probably would do more
than any other heavyweight fight currently available to the UFC,
more than anything other than a blockbuster along the lines of
a St. Pierre-Anderson Silva fight.
There
is an argument that if the UFC was to proceed with Lesnar-Mir
III, Lesnar would only have seven fights in the organization,
with three against the same person. But the alternatives are
not only worse from a single-event box office standpoint, but
also for building the heavyweight division for the future.
Roy
Nelson, who White conceded would have been the next choice to
face Lesnar, is in the middle of a legal situation regarding
a contract he signed in 2009 with the Roy Jones Jr.’s Square
Ring promotion. Jones’ promotion filed a lawsuit against
Zuffa and Nelson, and Zuffa responded to the claim by stating
that when Nelson signed his first contract with UFC on June 27,
2009, to participate in “The Ultimate Fighter” reality
show, Nelson stated he was not under contract to any other organization.
Until the legal proceedings are over, UFC will not be using Nelson.
Another
potential opponent, Shane Carwin, recently underwent major back
surgery and is out of the picture.
There
are loads of questions regarding Lesnar and how he’ll respond
to the loss. He’s disappeared from public view. His friends
say he’s spent the past few weeks hunting and spending time
with his family. He’s 33 years old, and has made a fortune
in his recent fights.
Will
he be like the 22-year-old Brock Lesnar, with barely a dime to
his name, who came back from finishing a close second in the
NCAA tournament as a junior and won it as a senior? Or even the
30-year-old Lesnar, who lost in 90 seconds to Mir in his debut,
but came back to beat Randy Couture and win the heavyweight title?
Lesnar has stated that he’s a prize fighter, emphasizing
the word “prize,” and notes money is a major part of
it.
With
his financial success, is Lesnar ready to commit to reinventing
himself and, in particular, shore up his weakness when it comes
to his reactions to getting hit? Will he be able to outwork a
machine like Velasquez? The lack of a next fight is a two-way
street, and there’s no indication he’s been burning
up the phone lines calling the UFC to ask to get back into the
cage as soon as possible.
It’s
an open secret that if Lesnar had his way, he’d headline
WrestleMania in April, after being pitched a Floyd Mayweather
Jr.-type World Wrestling Entertainment offer. White, who has
Lesnar under exclusive contract, has publicly stated he would
not allow him to do pro wrestling, which is likely to lead to
underlying tension.
Lesnar
has made millions in his UFC fights based on getting a cut of
pay-per-view revenue, and it simply would not be cost effective
to be in a match for the company to have Lesnar in against anyone
but a top star. This eliminates the next level of fighters like
Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell and Brendan Schaub from being considered.
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, who was knocked out by Mir
and hasn’t looked impressive in years, is at best a last-ditch
desperation name.
This
leaves only Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. But Nogueira has two strikes
against him: First, he is nowhere near the draw Mir would be.
But second, throwing short-term money gains aside, Nogueira makes
even less sense long-term.
UFC
has to create a top contender for the winner of the upcoming
Velasquez-Junior Dos Santos title fight. Lesnar would be the
biggest drawing challenger for either, but he’s going to
need one if not two wins to earn that shot. If he lost to Nogueira,
he’s out of the running. However, if Nogueira wins, Velasquez
beat Nogueira easily on Feb. 21 in Sydney, Australia, and a rematch
would be a tough sell. Worse, if Dos Santos wins, a Nogueira-Dos
Santos title match would be almost impossible to make, given
that Dos Santos is a personal protégé of Nogueira.
If
Mir beat Lesnar, matches against Velasquez and Dos Santos are
not only fresh matches, but also Mir’s ability to sell a
fight would make them bigger than any other potential heavyweight
matchups on the roster except one with Lesnar.
Which
brings us back where we started: Regardless of what angry Twitter
fans might say, Lesnar-Mir is the most logical match to make.
Source: Yahoo Sports
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‘Rampage’
revels in the spotlight
AUBURN
HILLS, Mich. – Left and right, front and center, they kept
swarming Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. A quick picture.
Sign my hat. Great fight, “Rampage.”
This
was deep in the bowels of the Palace of Auburn Hills, the clock
approaching 2 a.m., more than an hour after the roar of UFC 123
had subsided. The fans were still here, though, still hanging
around, still seeking a chance to meet their hero. B.J. Penn
could slip through with relative ease. Not Jackson, man of the
people.
So
“Rampage” worked the hallway. Smiles and jokes and
laughs all about. He tried to make each encounter unique. He
actually cared what people were saying. He was riding high, living
the life of someone who he, at times, isn’t certain he is:
a popular winner.
Earlier,
after earning a split-decision win over Lyoto Machida in the
co-main event, he immediately declared he’d been “whipped”
and was “ashamed.” He held up Machida’s arm and
said a rematch was in order.
He
was the winner, acting like the loser.
Jackson
had entered the Octagon to music from his old fighting days in
Japan, an effort, he said, to remind him of the times when fans
loved him and carried him to victory. This was despite the reality
that he was being cheered wildly. It was despite that he long
ago earned headliner status in the UFC. It was despite the fact
his natural charisma caused Hollywood to give him the starring
role of B.A. Baracus in last summer’s “The A-Team.”
“Rampage”
Jackson isn’t loved?
“I
think it’s a term called bipolar,” said Dana White,
the UFC president, and he was only sort of joking. “One
minute you’re hanging out with him and you’re having
the best time with him. And the next minute you hate him and
you’re against him.
“One
minute he wins a fight and the next minute he’s walking
around like he lost it. I don’t know, I can’t explain
it. He’s nuts. I think he’s tri-polar. Can you be tri-polar?”
It
could all be some kind of defense mechanism; everything from
the jokes to the performance art – the heavy chain hanging
around his neck, the howl at the rafters. There are times when
“Rampage” Jackson looks comfortable in his own skin,
in control of every encounter life throws at him – from
adoring fan to attacking opponent.
Then
there are times he doesn’t know what to say or what to think
or appears to lack the self-assurance to accept a close victory
and move on.
He
clearly knows how to connect with the fans. He also spent a season
as a coach on Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter”
reality show acting like a disinterested clown and making many
change their opinion of him.
He
isn’t easy to figure out.
Fans
appreciate the way he fights because he comes to brawl. He’s
a self-made man, a wrestler with a tough streak who rose out
of Memphis and made himself a star. Here, outside Detroit, he
had the vast majority of the 16,000-plus in attendance roaring
to his entrance and chanting his name during his toughest moments
against Machida.
Yet
he still isn’t sure if he’s accepted in the UFC, a
feeling that dates back to him taking the light heavyweight title
in 2007 from the iconic Chuck Liddell.
Judges
appreciate his aggressive manner, which is why he won Saturday.
He chased Machida, a defensive specialist and counter striker,
around the cage.
Yet
there he was apologizing for the entire thing.
“Rampage”
fought a brilliant fight and fought the fight he had to fight
to beat Machida,” White said. “I think ‘Rampage’
was the aggressor. I 100 percent had ‘Rampage’ winning
the first two rounds.
“He’s
nuts. He just won two out of three rounds and he’s [acting]
like he lost the fight.”
Where
“Rampage” was demanding an immediate rematch for Machida,
White would have none of it. In the promoter’s mind, this
was decisive. He wanted his fighter to stop pretending otherwise.
“Here
he is, [angering] me again.”
“Rampage”
came up with a different explanation.
“I
had just got done getting punched in the face,” he said.
“My trainers told me I won the fight, but … when he
dominated me in the third round, I forgot what happened in the
first two rounds.
“At
the time, I thought I got whooped because he landed a flurry
on my face.”
This
is “Rampage” Jackson. One minute he’s spewing
trash talk; the next he can’t even figure out if he’s
won.
He’s
a former light heavyweight champion who lost his belt in a close
and controversial decision over two years ago, yet he has never
demanded to White that he get another shot. He said this week
he just wants to fight, title or not.
Maybe
the pressure of the title is too much. After losing the belt
in 2008, he suffered a fit of depression and said he didn’t
sleep for four days and consumed nothing but energy drinks. After
crashing into the car of a pregnant woman (who suffered a miscarriage),
he led police in California on a wild chase that ended with “Rampage”
riding on his rims. That brought a slew of charges that were
eventually pled down or dismissed after he served community service.
It
almost ended his career. Only now it’s been resurrected.
By his drive. By his talent. By Hollywood. He may fight for the
title again soon.
“
‘Rampage’ is back in the mix,” White said.
As
Jackson was working his way through the line of well-wishers,
one guy asked if he’d play a prank on one of his friends.
“Rampage” immediately took up the task and got in the
friend’s face and with an intimidating voice and demanded,
“Are you the one talking bad about me?” He then acted
like he was going the beat the guy up.
It
was funny. Everyone laughed. The friends. The people watching.
The next fan waiting for a moment of his time. Then they all
hugged and posed for a picture together.
Jackson
was the king of the night. The most popular fighter who had won
the biggest bout of the card. Here long past midnight, he seemed
to realize it, he seemed to revel in it, he seemed to savor it.
You
just wonder how long it will last.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Despite
‘Philmura’ Finish, Phil Davis Has Compassion for Fellow
Fighters
Phil
Davis had a wonderful night in Detroit. The up and coming light
heavyweight worked a game plan to perfection when he submitted
an overwhelmed Tim Boetsch in the second round of their UFC 123
match-up.
“Mr.
Wonderful” executed precisely how he intended, taking advantage
of every opportunity.
“Every
fight definitely has a game plan and it’s thought out,”
Davis said on MMAWeekly Radio. “The game plan for this fight
was stand with him and control most of the round on the feet,
and then go for the takedown and do work there.”
The
thing that stuck out most about this fight, however, wasn’t
the fact that Davis worked his plan right and exact, but the
method he utilized when cranking out the submission. Davis pulled
a pulled an arm lock that no one has ever seen performed inside
the Octagon.
Shortly
after being announced as the winner, Davis stood with ringside
color commentator Joe Rogan and confirmed that the new technique
would be called “the Mr. Wonderful.” The list of names
for the technique didn’t stop there, however.
“On
Twitter they’re calling it ‘the Wonderbar’ or
‘the Philmura.’” he said about the submission.
“It’s kind of like a one-arm version of the Kimura
and I love it.”
Davis
talked about the moments leading into the application of the
now famous arm lock.
“When
I originally went for the Kimura, I knew he had rubbery arms,”
he said. “Most guys I train with tap as soon as I extend
their arm pretty straight and he wasn’t tapping, so I knew
he was pretty rubbery.”
Arm,
shoulder, and other joint locks are sure ways to seriously hurt
your opponent. Some fight with the philosophy of “tap or
snap,” while others tend to be more reserved and prevent
from applying 100-percent pressure in a lock.
Despite
the impressive submission technique, applying full pressure to
a lock appears to be something Davis would choose not to do.
“It
sucks that I have to say this, but I knew I was going to have
to rip it,” he explained. “He wasn’t going to
tap from just pressure. Man, I mean, he’s too rubbery. His
shoulders are so flexible. So I had to pull on it and kind of
adjust it a little bit more than I wanted to.”
Davis
is a competitor at heart, but it’s that heart that keeps
him down to earth. He can rationalize the fact that there is
more than just an opponent standing across the Octagon from him.
He’ll fight to win, but not necessarily to decimate the
life of his adversary.
“I
don’t wanna see anybody hurt,” Davis explained. “I
want him to be able to go home and play with his wife and kids.”
Source: MMA Weekly
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